School Shootings Are Part of a Larger Problem
I have kept my thoughts on this to myself long enough and believe that it is time I share them. I am a mom of three boys, two of which are in public school. I grew up in a home where we did not have guns and this went even so far that our water guns, were in fact shaped as dolphins or fish. If those could not be found we used a regular squirt bottle. I have not shot a hand gun, BB gun, or rifle in my entire life and I have no desire to, ever. Because of this, I feel like I have a very unique opinion on gun control and school shootings. First of all, I want to state that I believe the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution to be documents that were inspired and directed by God. I believe them to be timeless and just as applicable today as they were in 1791. Because of this, regardless of my feelings on guns, I believe it is important that we the citizens of the United States have access to guns, that we be allowed to keep them in our homes, and that they are available to us so that we can protect ourselves from tyrants and those seeking to take away our rights and endanger our lives. I will not even begin to pretend like I know how to keep guns out of the hands of emotionally or mentally unstable human beings, only that to some degree it may be necessary. Unfortunately that can quickly become a slippery slope (think Salem Witch trials) and one day we may all find ourselves without access to any guns at all. Enough about this, lets move on shall we?
On Facebook, I had a friend suggest we ask ourselves, “If my child was the one who was shot and killed today, what would I want gun laws in this country to look like?” She said that our answer to this question should be our answer, “ALWAYS.” She also said that there is no such thing as “other people’s kids”. Again, I can’t pretend to know what I think gun laws should look like because I honestly don’t know and have no experience with anything other then Nerf guns. There are people who do and would be much more adept at that type of thing. My only hope is that it would not infringe upon the rights given to US citizens in the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
It is my opinion however, as a mom, a US citizen, and a person who has no intention of owning or firing a gun herself, that these school shootings are part of a bigger problem. A problem that has come from constant criticism in our lives that is becoming more and more prevalent, criticism that affects how we parent our kids. On top of that criticism everyone has opinions, don’t spank, kids have feelings too, don’t let them outside alone, don’t give them chores, don’t make life too hard for them, and on and on. These people who have been the attacker in mass shootings have missed learning key things in life, things such as self control, taking responsibility for ones actions, impulse control, a respect for others and their property, and have likely never known true, unconditional love in their lives. When a person is missing these important and vital things in their life then we get gang related violence, stabbings, shootings, bullying, looting, arson, vandalism, abuse, and other violent crimes.
To me, if we want to prevent future mass shootings, if we want to prevent violent crimes and a severe lack of respect for other persons and their belongings, if we want to PROTECT OUR CHILDREN and future posterity then we need to teach them the key things that will help them to become decent, responsible, and respectful human beings. We also need to make sure that we address any mental and behavioral issues that come up. If you have any question at all about the way your child is behaving take them to the pediatrician and ask them about it! I am constantly aware of my children and their personalities and make sure that if I notice a change that I keep an eye on it for a few days so that I can address it if it doesn’t improve. We need to be advocates for our children. Behavioral and mental disorders are no longer taboo as they once were and there are many, many resources so that you and your child can get the help that they need.
In Proverbs 22: 6 it says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is my plea to all of you parents, grandparents, and legal guardians of children. You have to start young, our future and theirs depends on it.