My thoughts go out today to the community of Troutdale, Oregon, where a student and a suspected shooter are both dead after the later opened fire at Reynolds High School. When 27 people died after a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut two years ago, ABC News reported that there had been 31 school shootings since the one in Columbine, Colorado in 1999. Now, we learn that there have been 74 school shootings since Newtown.
I have no magic solution, except to say, as I did after Newtown, that I think it is some combination of gun control; better detection, destigmatization, and care of mental health issues; and the teaching of social-emotional skills in a culture that does not condone violence. Organizations like Everytown, MomsRising, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness are taking some important steps towards these goals — but we need a prolonged and multi-pronged effort from the public sector, private sector, and individuals combined.
I remind myself that I am still privileged in sending my son to a school in a relatively safe neighborhood in a part of the world not plagued by everyday violence. Not every parent in our country, much less around the world, can claim the same. We must recognize that and work to change it. I hugged him extra close today, counting my blessings even as I grapple with my fears and realize my responsibilities. Let us all work towards a world where we can all send our children safely to school and home again.
