I cannot begin to empathize with devastation of the parents who lost kids (although at this time, there are only two – one victim and the shooter). You send your kid to school, which should be – and still is statistically – the safest place for a child to be. I also feel sad for the parents of the shooter, and their huge sense of loss and responsibility for the unthinkable.
There will be the usual handwringing about causes and how we can prevent this in the future. But this will fade quickly, another case of Ebola, the upcoming election, some other tragedy, a great football game, a celebrity arrest; something will push it off the front page.
Nothing will be done until we address the culture of guns and gun violence. Nothing will happen until we address health disparities, safety nets for families, adequate childcare…
Some will insist on better means of predicting or profiling the potential shooters. But you can’t, there are no good models. Some shooters have been bullied, some have been bullies, some have been loners, some have been popular, some have had friends, some have struggled in school, some have been good students, some have dated, some of been on medication while others haven’t, some have been traumatized while others haven’t, some come from intact homes while others come from broken homes… All have been troubled kids, that part seems to be accurate. But in our wisdom to cut spending in schools, many resources have gone – including school counselors and school psychologists who could have caught this early. And maybe intervened in time.
Yep. Another shooting in an American school. And everyone’s heart aches.