An Australian Who Lived In The USA | Blog Archive

TechTags Plugin [ Virginia Tech | School Shooting | Guns | Laws ]

The chilling answer is most definitely, “No.” In the wake of yet another record-breaking school shooting massacre, parents nationwide must be feeling what I am feeling. That haunt in the back of the mind that reminds you of the fact that you’re not comfortable with the safety of your children at school. And the fact that you release control and that there’s not a whole lot you can do if the nightmare reaches your doorstep.

Let me stop for a moment and give my heart felt condolences and prayer to the families of the victims in this latest tragegy. There’s no way I can even begin to imagine the horror of the situation, so I won’t pretend to have wisdom and knowledge in the area. But I do have something to say.

Personally, I am re-locating to Australia in the near future and it can’t come soon enough. While I have one child in Primary School and one yet to start, I have this sick feeling that it is only a matter of time before school shootings take place in Primary Schools. There’s a terrible trend that has spiked alarmingly in the past 10 years versus those prior and it scares me to no end.

Each time a school shooting has occurred I have read reports from someone that they cannot believe such a tragegy could occur in their sleepy corner of the world. I believe what they are saying is true; the problem is that most of us live in that sleepy corner of the world where we feel pretty safe and generally go about daily lives with relative happiness.

But increased events such as these in the past 10 years have shaken a nation and I am not seeing a shake up in the politics surrounding gun control. I see the 50/50 arguments and continued rhetoric without any real results.

I see great idea’s that aren’t being applied. For instance; the University of Austin, Texas was able to send mass urgent text messages to mobile phones and email to warn students to stay home as a dangerous ice storm was approaching. We’re a highly informed society who knows more about what’s going on in the world at any given moment than has been the case in all of history. I pray that drastic measures are taken, even something innovative, to try and rebuke this terrible trend. I don’t have the answer, I have a feeling that stringent gun control will help, but I’m in no place to debate the topic.

I also know there’s criticism of the Administrators at the school as well there might be. What do you expect in light of such horror? When you read that there was a distinct two-hour gap between “shooting sessions” in which the killer actually mailed stuff to NBC, there leaves little room as to who to point a finger at.

Has this happened in Australia? Yes it has. Though with very stringent gun laws and definite federal involvement the problem is minute. Perhaps it will grow in time, as has happened in the USA, but for now I feel very comfortable with Australian schools.

Again, prayers and thoughts to all those involved. I am glad for the families who had loves ones make it home safely. My heart goes to the families who weren’t so fortunate.

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3 Responses to “Are our children safe?”

Cap'n John
Apr 22nd, 2007
8:54 am

Actually it already has happened in Primary Schools. I forget the particulars but it was a Grade 1 or 2 lad who found a handgun in his home left behind by one of his Dad’s drug dealing mates. The young lad took the gun to school and shot a girl that he’d apparently had a fight with a few days before.