Long before I was awake Monday morning, 17-year-old T.J. Lane opened fire on a group of high school classmates in Chardon, Ohio. Three of those students are now dead.
What is even more troubling than the tragedy itself is the seeming frequency with which school shootings happen - almost every day in this country.
And everyone will tell you that he was a good kid, that things had really turned around for him since he began attending an alternative school, that all was well and right with the world until that morning when a .22-caliber revolver changed everything.
Anger isn’t the apt response in this situation. And grief for the families of the fallen students, the faculty of the high school and Lane’s family does not suffice either.
I am distraught and confused about this country.
I suppose it’s the same old song and dance though.
Repercussions will be immediate, marches and ceremonies will be held to honor the fallen and parents will feel a little less certain as they send their children to school with Sharpie-stained brown paper bags in hand.
But it’ll still happen again. Perhaps then despair won’t be enough.
This is a not a call to abolish the Second Amendment – I’ll be long dead before that day comes. Nor is this a cynical, acerbic commentary on the state of our country.
This is unabashed, pure consternation, a feeling that is obscured by my simple daily ignorance.
God, I’d hate to be a parent right now. I’d hate to be in Chardon weeping at my changing world. And I certainly couldn’t live with myself if I had taken a day off from high school on Monday, sitting defenselessly in front of the television over a bowl of Froot Loops.
If I could, I’d light every candle in the world just to let them know I give a damn and tell those families that the lives taken from this country affect me on such a visceral level that tears burn my keyboard as I type this.
If there are answers, I certainly don’t have them. Lake Academy, Lane’s alternative school, lacks metal detectors. Think of the chaos it would incite if schools had them.
To enter the Northwestern library, one would not only need to scan a WildCARD but also go through a metal detector. It would complicate the whole “innocent until proven guilty” ideology.
We don’t want all of our public institutions to be orchestrated like the Transportation Security Administration.
At least that’s how it seems. Since this country is reactionary instead of preventative, things may only change once the button is pushed a few more times.
It is easier to cry over spilt milk than making sure the glass isn’t at the edge of the table. I say this out of love and empathy for everyone in Chardon. I hurt, too.
Gideon Resnick is a Medill freshman. He can be reached at [email protected]
All opinions expressed in this column are solely the opinions of the columnist and do not reflect the views of The Daily Northwestern. If you would like to respond to the column, you may comment below, email the columnist or submit a 300-word letter to the editor to [email protected].
