Vendor Writing

Another Day, Another School Shooting

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

On April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School, two teenage students/gunmen walked into their school armed with multiple weapons and carried out a massacre that left 13 students dead and 24 injured (21 by gunfire). At the time, it was considered one of the worst mass shootings of its kind in United States history.

Sadly, since that time there have been many others. Consider the following examples:

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut killing 26 people — 20 children and six adults — before taking his own life.

On Feb. 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., a gunman killed 17 students and injured 14 before he was taken into custody.

More recently on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary an 18 year old gunman killed 21 people — 19 students and two adults — before the shooter was killed.

These are just a few examples of the atrocities being committed against our young people — the most vulnerable segment of society and one that we as adults are supposed to protect.

The damage done extends far beyond those killed or physically injured. Countless others are profoundly mentally traumatized as they are forced to witness these horrific events unfold before their eyes.

Still others hide behind locked doors cowering in fear in hopes that a savior will soon appear amid all the chaos.

So just how prevalent is this problem in the U.S.? There have been a total of 377 school shootings since Columbine in 1999, exposing more than 348,000 students to gun violence in their schools. (Washington Post)

As of Dec. 20, 2022, there were over 300 incidents involving gun violence on school grounds. This includes mass shootings, gang shootings, shootings at sporting events, as well as other after school activities that have taken place on school grounds of both public and private schools. (See K-12 School Shooting Database for more information.)

There have already been 13 school shootings so far this year, with a total of 18 people fatally shot, and another 56 injured in these incidents. (NPR) But don’t worry, it’ll NEVER happen here, right? WRONG!

The most recent shooting occurred at Covenant, a private Christian school that teaches Pre-K-6th grade in the typically quiet community of Green Hills, an affluent suburb just south of of Nashville. This shooting now has the distinction of having the highest number of victims in a single mass shooting this year so far. (Education Week)

So what has changed over the years?

Since Columbine, over 90 percent of our schools now have a written plan to deal with an active shooter situation.

Seventy five percent have had active shooter training drills (much like we had fire or tornado drills when I was a child in public school). (ABC News)

It’s important to note that ALL faculty and staff at the Covenant Christian School had attended Active Shooter Training in the Fall of 2021, conducted by Brink Fidler a former MNPD officer who stated in an interview with News Channel 5, “The school performed flawlessly” in accordance with their training.

Still, more needs to be done as mass shootings continue to escalate at an unprecedented rate.

Given all this information it should come as no surprise that gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in America! (New York Times/NPR)

With that in mind, what more can be done to further ensure the safety of students, educators, and others in our schools?

Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Instituting a waiting period to buy a gun, (many of the guns used in recent mass shootings were purchased legally on the same day as the incident) which represents a departure from my long held belief that individuals who do things like this don’t purchase the guns legally.

2. Raising the age to buy a gun from 18 to 21. Tennessee has tabled a bill to lower the age to buy a gun from 21 to 18 until 2024.

3. Tougher background checks.

4. Banning the sale of assault riffles and high capacity magazines to civilians who have no need for them. (Their only purpose is to maim, kill and destroy anything in their path.)

5. Enact Red Flag laws which allow law enforcement to confiscate weapons from those deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others.

6. Install SRO’s or Security officers at EVERY school both public and private.

I admit these steps may be unpopular and some may view them as an infringement on their “individual rights” and yes, I know, it’s the law, but I’m reminded of a scripture:

1 Cor. 6:12 NIV says, “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial.” My point? While it is lawful to own any type of gun you choose, it would definitely be beneficial to so many others if we didn’t so adamantly insist on utilizing it. Also it would let the victims' families know their loved ones mattered not only to them, but to others.

In contrast, to do nothing is like saying all the victims died in vain, adding insult to injury on those left behind to pick up the pieces.

If this sounds familiar, it should, as it was mentioned in my previous article “Gun Rights Verses Victims Rights — What Is More Important? ” appearing in The Contributor 's June 22,2022, edition. Since these suggestions weren’t implemented then, it bears repeating now. Maybe this time in light of recent events that have hit so close to home, those in a position to do so will take action to promote real and lasting change to benefit EVERYONE in Nashville and the surrounding areas, as well as anyone else who chooses to listen.

Since writing this article, all gun legislation in Tennessee has been tabled until 2024. So, I guess we will have to wait and see.

Hole in the Sky

BY JEFFREY W., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Some years ago I left Iowa on a bicycle. I made a trailer using one of those baby strollers with the two 16” tires on the back. So, I had a tent and everything I needed to be comfortable. One morning early, just as I did almost every day, I got a very vivid vision. I knew that it was about where I was to spend the night. I was now in the flat part of Arkansas along the Mississippi Delta region heading toward the Gulf. When you say “flat land” this is the textbook example of it.

I never knew how far I would bike daily, so I would simply enjoy the day, scenery and occasional people I would meet that loved to talk to me about my journey. This particular day, just like the rest, I began to get very tired towards the end of it. I had just left an old town that really looked awful. You could tell that a tornado had destroyed a lot of years ago, but had been left still in disarray. “No Trespassing” signs were posted everywhere. I believe in respecting those, not to mention none of them matched my vision, which was of a falling down building. So I continued on, having everything I would need in my trailer.

On these roads you can see almost forever because it’s so flat. Oh no!! Yep, I began to see lightning. This usually never bothered me because I could find some type of natural protection. Today, there was not even a single tree. Way in the horizon the lightning began to intensify. I kept trying to pretend like I wasn’t actually seeing it.

The storm still looked small and isolated. It had a tail wind and I began to think about the severity of what could be coming. The storm quickly began to widen in my sight as it drew closer. There was zero chance to get back to the town I left. I had an entirely different feeling deep inside of me that I began to heed closely as if I was in a way seeking guidance. Something welled up in my spirit and I began to pick up my pace a little even as the tail wind also did. I knew I was in serious trouble and a very bad situation was unfolding and I felt like I was about to be dinner for this storm. There still was nothing in sight at all. The clouds of thunder and lightning now were extremely wide and were coming quickly. They formed a horseshoe shape and I was headed to the center of it.

I found the strength and began to move quicker. I wasn’t speaking to myself, I was speaking to this storm now. “You’ll not get one piece of me at all. I am absolutely going to kick your ass.” I became very feisty and was moving quickly headed directly into the heart of this now rapidly intensifying storm. “You haven’t seen me pissed off!” My rhetoric continued as my heartbeat was about to come out of my chest. Lightening on both sides with full thunder. I began to notice something ahead that looked like a single tree. I peddled harder and faster, but it seemed impossible to get to the now appearing group of trees in the middle of nothingness on the side of the highway. I had considered getting off the bike and sheltering in a shallow drainage ditch. I realized I was the target and stood ready to fight. My heart was beating like a mad man now as I was surrounded by lightning and massive thunder, but no rain!! In the past I would simply pray for passage to be made by a hole in the skies and it did happen. Today, this wasn’t going to happen.

When I got to the place of what looked like a single tree, I was shocked by what was coming quickly into view. It was a rundown, dilapidated barn. It was a perfect match for my vision!! With no hesitation, I steered in and was somewhat sheltered. When I went to the back of the barn, I saw a 10x10 opening of solid stone with a doorway pointing away from the storm. It used to be an outbuilding, probably a simple shed. I am quick to set up a small simple tent, and soon i was perfectly snuggled inside the stone walls. Shortly the screaming of this pissed off storm went over my shelter. My laughter was loud as was my relief. The fight was over and I won fair and square.

I slept very nicely inside my hole in the middle of the storm that seemed to target me. The shelter had been there for years, I simply had to be ready to fight if I needed to. Remembering simple passages of scripture that most people overlook has helped me in countless situations.

Recently on my post selling The Contributor near a McDonalds, the morning was cloudy but I felt good inside about being on my post. Getting soaked to the bone the way I live can be a bad thing as it can make you ill or take forever to dry your clothes. On this morning the rain was light, and wasn’t ruining my morning. At one point I remember asking God for a hole in the sky to keep me dry so I could continue selling papers. I remained mostly dry and was enjoying my morning on my post. Then a most wonderful man came up behind me. He bought a paper, gave me a double cheeseburger and a McChicken sandwich and strongly insisted upon me taking an extra umbrella he had. That to me seemed strange because the clouds were breaking up giving way to sunshine.

Then all at once with no warning at all, a very torrential rain began. I quickly unfolded this umbrella and sat down on a five gallon bucket I had. I curled up under this umbrella. It was made of see-through plastic and was the type that drooped a lot around the edges. All I could do was weep a little and say, “Thank you God, for sending this man to provide my hole in the sky!!” I was dry!!

Long ago, in the days of old, a wonderful warrior was in need of the sun to stay in the sky long enough to defeat the enemy God had sent him to destroy. Joshua’s prayer wasn’t perfect according to the scientific community because he was actually needing the Earth to stop. God knew what he really needed and did exactly that.

Over the years, I have enjoyed helping so many people to open their eyes to the things around them in their lives. Seeing the obvious sometimes can be difficult because things don’t seem to be going in the right direction. Many fight to go against something that they actually have prayed for. As the answer comes to them they can be deceived into not seeing it as the answer they were looking for. Being patient and going straight forward into the storm could be the very answer we seek at times. A shelter in the provided hole inside the storm. You simply need to go forward. Other times perhaps your hole in the sky will simply show up.

The God I serve is very capable of having a billionaire hand me fortune should it be his will. The peace of life comes about by not caring either way. He has promised me much so I don’t fret about it today. I simply enjoy seeing what and how he does things so easily in our lives everyday. Just as with Abraham when God says what he shall do in our lives, he will then teach us to walk in it first. In his way, not ours, we will earn the right to have his blessings commanded upon us. Just like a Tesla purchase, you own it first, but have to wait until you get to actually drive it. I have witnessed way too much to be convinced otherwise.