About a month ago, I sent an Opinion posting to this paper regarding the number of shooting incidents that took place in our schools throughout our country between the dates of Dec. 14, 2012, and March 27, 2023 (“Where is our outrage about school shootings?”). In the first paragraph of that writing, I suggested we look at the “gun” issue from a “personal” perspective. It’s a new year, but the carnage continues.
On Jan. 4, in Perry, Iowa, police said a 17-year-old opened fire in a high school cafeteria where students were gathering for breakfast before class. An 11-year-old student was killed, and seven others were injured. The 17-year-old alleged killer had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun, along with an explosive device, which was later disarmed by the police. All the aforementioned were found at the scene on the suspect. The principal of the school ran to the cafeteria and tried to get as many of his students out of that area as quickly as possible. His name was Mr. Dan Marburger. I say “was” because he was shot, rushed to a local hospital and lingered near death for 10 days before passing.
When will this stop? The answer is “never,” as long as individuals who have weapons in their homes leave them unsecured. In this case, this 17-year-old suspect learned how to make a bomb. I would guess he did so through the internet. Computers are a wonderful tool. Mostly every home has more than one available to their families. Likewise, cellphones are also a must for children and adults alike. Unfortunately, both are also a hazard to children, as well as to some adults. If you have children who use the internet on their phones or home computers, monitor their searches. Make it a family must to do so on a regular basis. Doing so might just save lives.
How can we make schools safer? The answer is, we can’t. Installing metal detectors in every access point, along with staffing to monitor them, isn’t practical. Schools have too many entry points to make it a reasonable alternative. Keeping all the entry/exit areas locked is also not practical. It seems to me, in my humble opinion, that the responsibility to secure schools falls on us. We have to keep firearms secure and monitor our children (and, in some cases, adults) to make sure that they are not abusing the privilege of using technology appropriately.
Peter Graffagnino
Bridgeville
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.