A List of Suggestions That Won’t Stop Active Shooters From Killing Kids
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It’s a horrific event. The lives of tens of people were cut short for no reason other than prejudice, bigotry, and access to a gun. But to me, the real horror is that this is an evergreen article.
I’m writing about the Uvalde school shooting, but I could be talking about any of the other 27 school shootings that have happened this year. I could be talking about any of the dozens of school shootings that, statistically, will happen in the coming months. I could be talking about any of the shootings of people at places of worship, or grocery stores, or campuses, or anywhere else.
We know what would stop these deaths: gun regulation. That’s it. That’s literally it. No other country suffers from the surfeit of school shootings like we do. The UK hasn’t had one in over two decades. Look at this map and know that it doesn’t have to be like this.
Yet Republican politicians seem content to keep taking money from the NRA and suggesting other, absolutely ludicrous measures to keep people alive.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of things Republicans have suggested in response to the latest tragedy. It will make you angry. It made me angry to write it. But I’m sick of seeing them spout these lies and not get challenged for it.
Active shooter drills
After the Columbine shooting, active shooter drills became common in schools. There’s very little evidence they work. Even in instances where they are executed perfectly, there is still tragedy. At Oxford High School in Michigan, four students died despite active shooting precautions being taken. “We really can’t train ourselves out of this tragedy,” said case prosecutor Karen McDonald.
On the flip side, active shooter drills do work well at reminding kids that their country doesn’t care about them and would rather see them dead before turning down NRA paychecks. Active shooter drills increase depression, stress, anxiety, and physiological health problems.
Call your school, or your kid’s school, if you’d like to ask that they stop doing this pointless and harmful activity.
