Preface: I was deeply saddened to hear about the events occurring at a High School near Galveston, TX. This is the area in which I spent my spring break. It is a wonderful area, filled with wonderful people, and it is truly horrific to see communities torn apart by these types of events. My thoughts and prayers go to the families who lost loved ones, the students who lost friends, the teachers who lost students, and anyone else impacted by this event.
The Incident: At 7:45AM (CDT), a gunman opened fire at the Sante Fe High School, in the general Houston area of Texas. As of today, there have been 10 confirmed fatalities, and additional injuries. Among the dead were two substitute teachers and several other students, one of which was a foreign exchange student from Pakistan. Several other people were injured in the incident, including the school resource officer who sustained a gunshot to the arm. According to the Houston police chief, Art Acevedo, the resource officer is recovering but will be okay.
In addition to the shooting, multiple explosives were also found on campus. It has not been reported that any of these explosives were detonated or resulted in any injuries.
Things to Note: The first thing to note is the time of the incident. The incident took place at 7:45 in the morning, which would be the beginning of the school day. I do not know what the morning procedures are at this particular school, but the doors to the school are typically unlocked in the morning to allow students to enter, which would generally leave a school more vulnerable to attack.
Unlike the school resource officer in Parkland, the resource officer here did respond and was injured in his response. Several students reported that the fire alarm was activated, similar to the incident in Florida.
Prior to the event, it has been reported that the suspect did post images on social media that depicted gun use, as well as other unsettling things, such as him in a tshirt that said "born to kill". My Opinion: You would think that ESPECIALLY after the incident that occurred in Parkland, Florida, that this would be a reason to evaluate the suspect
Unlike the event in Parkland, in which an AR-15 rifle was used, in this particular incident, a shotgun and a .38 caliber revolver, which is a handgun was used.
Texas has some of the most lax gun regulations in the nation. In recent campaigns, gun violence was not a primary issue on either side of the aisle.
What to expect: The first thing that will likely happen will be the re ignition of the gun control debate. It seems as though everything had died down from the events in Parkland, however based on the political leanings of the state of Texas, it would be reasonable to expect a very different response from the survivors of the incident.
My Stance: 3 months ago I wrote a piece about the incident in Parkland and how I felt about some of the gun control measures that were being proposed. That article can be viewed in the link at the bottom of the page. However, banning assault rifles would not have prevented this particular incident because it was carried out with a shotgun and a handgun. The perpetrator was a minor. It is illegal to sell firearms to those under the age of 18 in Texas, however this is no minimum age to posses one. That should not change because minors do hunt, minors do also participate in sports involving firearms such as target shooting, which is an Olympic sport, done with rifles (air and bullet), shotguns, and pistols. There was enough reason based on social media posts that there was something going on here, and that was missed. There were a number of warning signs prior to the events in Parkland, that were ignored. The biggest thing that needs to change is our response to these warning signs. Fear mongering is not going to help, we must be cautious when responding to warning signs as to not impede upon others rights (i.e. suspending student for going to gun ranges outside of school hours).
We also need to make sure that there is a plan in place for violent incidents like this one. As I have said in the past, not all incidents like this one occur with firearms, but regardless a universal plan must be in place. Training teachers to respond to incidents (whether through a program like ALiCE or other program) is a must, as some districts still have the traditional lockdown plan. It is also important to educate not only students, but also office workers in office buildings, on making decisions during life or death situations like this one. Schools have monthly fire drills, and yet school shootings occur more frequently than fires. Why are we better prepared for a fire? That is a problem.
My Opinion: I do believe that the second amendment was written with the assumption that firearms would evolve over time. I do believe that it is very clear that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed upon. I do believe that certain regulations should be put in place to prevent those who have committed violent crimes from obtaining firearms, as well as those who have been diagnosed with mental illness.
Sources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-school-shooting-santa-fe-high-school-dimitrios-pagourtzis-latest-today-2018-05-18/
-For the story and things to note
https://www.olympic.org/shooting
-Shooting as an olympic sport
http://lawcenter.giffords.org/minimum-age-to-purchase-possess-in-texas/
-Age laws in Texas
http://thelatestgabe.blogspot.com/2018/02/school-shooting-in-south-florida.html
-Previous blog in response to shooting in Parkland, FL
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