Sweet Child O’ Mine
Each day 12 children die of gun violence in the United States [1].
There have been over 2000 school shootings since 1970. It has become all too easy for us to offer “thoughts and prayers” after yet another such shooting.
As our children return once again to schools that are understaffed and under-resourced, we who claim to care about our children’s welfare must do more than pray for their security [2][3].
We must use the hearts and minds God gave us to effectuate change. We must use the voices He gave us to engage our elected officials on our children’s behalf.
We must commit our time and our capital to assure that our children – whatever their race, creed, or color – are provided a safe learning environment, at least some semblance of a level playing field, and the basic tools needed to craft a future for themselves.
Where do we go now? That is up to us.
“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father…” (Matt. 18: 10).
—
[1] Sandy Hook Promise, “16 Facts About Gun Violence and School Shootings”, https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/gun-violence/16-facts-about-gun-violence-and-school-shootings/.
[2] The Century Foundation, “TCF Study Finds US Schools Underfunded by Nearly $150 Billion Annually”, 7/22/20, https://tcf.org/content/about-tcf/tcf-study-finds-u-s-schools-underfunded-nearly-150-billion-annually/?session=1.
[3] Washington Post, “Public education is facing a crisis of epic proportions” by Laura Meckler, 1/30/22, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/30/public-education-crisis-enrollment-violence/.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
Get rid of the “gun free” and hire armed retired police and/or military. Many would even volunteer. That’s the only way we can protect kids in school from these wacko’s.
I believe more of us need to become involved in a variety of ways.
Those are heart-breaking statistics but, of course, each precious soul was a human life not a statistic! 😦
So right!
Thank you Anna, for this informative post.
IMO, these staggering statistics are a testament of how little value human life has in America. Whether we call the womb the most dangerous place for a child in America, or the public schools, or the local shopping mall, the fact is that we as a nation no longer have the stomach to stand up and fight against the onslaught of evil being launched against our children. And that is what this is: evil.
It is a mistake to think that this evil attack on our children can be thwarted at the ballot box, or that it can it be repelled by more programs funded by parents. This is going to require parents to do more than just complain and express their dismay at the next(God forbid)school shooting.
Have we not noticed that nearly everything we do so far as school safety is reactionary? Other than a few school resource officers and increased security (at some schools) what is being done to proactively protect our kids?
School safety must become a priority. Better security measures, including secured electronic entrances, more school resource officers, more parent volunteers patrolling school grounds, all of this and more is necessary to combat those who wish to harm our children. Of course, no one wants their child’s school to look like a correctional facility, but the circumstances dictate that a conventional approach is no longer satisfactory.
Finally, how ironic is it that we cannot mention God in school, but He is the first One we think about when we hear of a school shooting!
I could not agree more, Ron. The protection and nurture of our children is not something we can simply delegate to others and forget.
As you say, the underlying issue is one of the heart. Only a return to God and godly ways would make a fundamental difference. Sadly, I do not see that taking place anytime soon. We as a society seem determined to turn away from God. That decision has dire consequences — school shootings among them.
Completely agree Anna! I shudder to think of what the next decade will bring to our nation and the world at large. One thing is certain, without God in our hearts evil will only get worse.