Once again, another school shooting has claimed the lives of children and harmed even more. Once again, we must redouble our efforts for stricter gun control laws, and once again, we parents must be prepared to speak with our children about school shootings. Here are some resources for doing so.
My heart today is with the victims at the Annunciation Catholic School and their families and friends. I am Jewish, but any tragedy such as this should matter to people of all faiths and no faiths. It is a human tragedy. As a parent, I feel it at my very core. While those directly impacted mourn and heal to the extent they can, the rest of us must take action so that such a horror never happens again.
It may feel fruitless at times to oppose the gun lobby that has allowed widespread distribution of weapons such as the automatic rifle used in the shooting, but I know we must continue to do so, and to vote with gun control in mind. If you wish to take action against gun violence, two places to start are:
or you can contact your federal, state, and local elected officials directly.
For those looking for ways to help children process their feelings around this latest shooting or around ongoing active shooter drills in their schools:
- Sesame Street offers resources on Community & Gun Violence for children and families.
- A Kids Company About has made their A Kids Book About School Shootings downloadable for free. Written by a survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, it is aimed at ages 5 to 9.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics explains “How to Talk With Kids About Tragedies & Other Traumatic News Events.”
- The American Psychological Association shares ideas for “Helping your children manage distress in the aftermath of a shooting.”
- Everytown offers some “general information and coping tips” on “Children’s Responses to Trauma.”
Additionally, the Disaster Distress Helpline, 1.800.985.5990, is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline with immediate crisis counseling for people experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.
I must also note: Some news reports are saying that the perpetrator was transgender, although as of this writing, that remains unconfirmed. Regardless, it should not cast any doubt on the mental health of other trans people, or on the right to life, dignity, and equality that trans people, like all others, deserve. The vast majority of the perpetrators of mass shootings are White, cisgender men, as Charlotte Clymer has pointed out, but we do not extrapolate to cast doubt on the capacities or rights of other White, cisgender men. If a trans person violates the law, they should be brought to justice like anyone else, but no other trans person should suffer for it.