On October 21, 2013, a gunman opened fire on Sparks Middle School, near Reno Nevada, ultimately killing one other individual and wounding two more. The shooter then turned the gun on himself and died of his self-inflicted wounds. However, unlike other tragedies this year, the gunman does not fit the profile that has been seen in previous shootings, where an isolated male takes revenge on or has little connection to his victims. This was a 12 year old boy who opened fire on his classmates and his teacher in front of his middle school with a weapon his parent’s kept in the house.
The shooter, who’s name has not been released due to his juvenile status, took the semiautomatic handgun, a Ruger 9mm, from his parent’s home and brought it to school that day. His motives and reasons for doing so are still unclear to police. Tom Robinson, the deputy chief of the Reno Police Department says, “It’s too early to say whether he was targeting specific people or just going on an indiscriminate shooting spree.”
In a matter of minutes, the boy had pulled out the weapon in the school, where classes had not yet begun for the day, in front of 20-30 of his classmates. The teacher present rushed to the boy, asking him to hand over the gun, and was then shot in the chest. Reports show that he had been shot on the school playground where he died on the scene. The other two 12 year old boys who had also been shot are in stable condition as of today.
Mike Landsberry was the teacher in the classroom who rushed to neutralize the dangerous situation, and was fatally shot in the process. A popular math teacher, about to celebrate his weeding anniversary, Landsberry had served several tours in Afghanistan as a member of the Nevada Air National Guard and the U.S. Marines Corp. Acting as he was trained to do so, he assessed the threat of the situation, approached the shooter, and was ultimately killed for his actions.
In the face of traumatic and violent events, reflection on the laws and conditions which allowed such an event to happen are natural. There have been several school shootings in the United States this year, including cases in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, California. This follows in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown Connecticut, where 26 students and teachers were killed, sparking a national debate over gun control and safety.
Nearly every citizen has an opinion on gun control and gun safety laws, ranging from strict literal interpretations of the Second Amendment to those who want US laws to echo those of European nations, where no civilian is permitted to own or carry a firearm. Regardless of one’s own political or personal views on the matter, this is a tragic issue that continues to effect America and must be reassessed. Those of us here on the University of Rochester campus can send our deepest condolences to the families affected in Sparks, Nevada knowing that it will never be enough.