Editorial: We can't move on
October 4, 2015
Today is the 278th day of the year. Subtract 13 from that number. That’s the number of mass shootings in the United States so far in 2015. 265 mass shootings in the United States in 278 days. Forty-five of which have been school shootings.
This editorial is redundant. It’s redundant because it could be written any week this year.
Last Thursday nine students were killed at the hands of yet another gunman at a school, and like after almost every school shooting, Facebook newsfeeds filled up with posts of remorse and articles trying to explain or justify the tragedy.
Arguments heated up in the comments sections of blog posts over gun control and mental health care.
These conversations need to happen, but as they stand now, they’re clearly not working.
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It’s clear that they’re not working because in a week we’ll go back to posting about cats and TV shows until the next tragedy.
But families at the 45 schools where there have been shootings since the beginning of 2015 don’t have this luxury.
Life will never return to the simplicity of before whatever incident occurred.
The emotional effect of a weapon discharging in what should be as safe as home is scarring for students and their families alike.
So, instead of making a tired point about gun control and mental health care, we encourage you to remember the burden that students and families of the following 45 schools face every day. In a week we might be able to forget about their pain, but their consciousness will never go back to normal.
Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Vanguard High School, Ocala, Florida
Williamson High School, Mobile, Alabama
Royal Live Oaks Academy, Hardeeville, South Carolina
Hand in Hand Christian Montessori School, Roseville, Minnesota
Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota
Frederick High School, Frederick, Maryland
University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Lawson Elementary School, Little Rock, Arkansas
Tenaya Middle School, Merced, California
Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Florida
Northwest Passage Alternative High School, Coon Rapids, Minnesota
American International College, Springfield, Massachusetts
Community College of Beaver County, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee
Everett Community College, Everett, Washington
Wayne Community College, Goldsboro, North Carolina
Seguin High School, Seguin, Texas
Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina
Ruthe Deskin Elementary School, Las Vegas, Nevada
North Thurston High School, Lacey, Washington
Willow Elementary School, Cleveland, Ohio
Conyers Middle School, Conyers, Georgia
Corona del Sol High School, Tempe, Arizona
Robinson High School, Robinson, Texa
Flint Southwestern Classical Academy, Flint, Michigan
Everglades City School, Everglades City, Florida
South Macon Elementary School, Franklin, North Carolina
Fort Calhoun Elementary School, Fort Calhoun, Nebraska
Coppell Middle School East, Dallas, Texas
Elolf Elementary School, Converse, Texas
University of Florida – Gainesville, Gainesville, Florida
Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas
Paradise High School, Paradise, Texas
William Velasquez Elementary, Richmond, Texas
Hornsby Elementary School, Augusta, Georgia
Savannah State University, Savannah, Georgia
Sacramento City College, Sacramento, California
Northside High School, Lafayette, Louisiana
Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi
Central Elementary School, Statesville, North Carolina
Montana Tech of the University of Montana, Butte, Montana
Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, South Dakota
Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Oregon
These are incidents in which a gun was discharged on school grounds, including after hours and self-inflicted gunshots. These do not include instances in which a gun was brought on school grounds but not discharged.