America was shocked when word broke of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
At around 9:30 that morning, Adam Lanza, a 20-year old resident of Newtown, CT, broke into the school with a semi-automatic R-15 assault rifle and two pistols; he began shooting. Although the school’s security system had recently been updated, Lanza shot his way into the school, an unthinkable maneuver in any secured area.
Before heading to the school, Lanza took the life of his own mother, shooting her four times in the head. He killed twenty-six people at the school: twenty children, ages six to seven, and six faculty and staff members. He then took his own life.
Funeral services were held for the victims of the shooting in the following days. Today, the community is still in mourning. After a horrifying event such as this, it seems as if we can do nothing to stop unbearable acts like these. However, there are ways we can help.
The debate of gun control has become heated in the wake of this event. President Obama and other gun control supporters are calling for a ban on the sale of assault weapons, loosely defined as “automatic and semi-automatic guns,” and more thorough background checks on individuals who purchase guns. However, pro-second amendment advocates in Congress, including West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, have proposed putting armed guards in schools, or arming the teachers if necessary, instead of limiting people’s access to guns.
To contribute to the debate, let your voice be heard by contacting your Congressman. West Virginia’s representatives are as follows:
Joe Manchin (Senate, http://manchin.senate.gov/public/)
Jay Rockefeller (Senate, http://www.rockefeller.senate.gov/public/)
David McKinley (House of Representatives, http://mckinley.house.gov/)
Shelley Moore Capito (House of Representatives, http://capito.house.gov/)
Nick Rahall (House of Representatives, http://rahall.house.gov/).
Tell our Congressmen what you think should be done in order to better-protect our schools. You may feel that your opinion doesn’t matter, but our representatives are in Washington, D.C. to stand for you and your needs. That’s their job. If you want Congress to take action to better -guard public schools in the future, share your opinions with the people who represent us.
[pagebreak]
Another way to stop a tragedy like this from reoccurring is to contribute to organizations that deal with mental illness. After the shooting, many of Lanza’s neighbors and old classmates came forward, saying that he was a “troubled kid,” and was “very disturbed.” Ryan Lanza, the brother of the shooter, reported that his brother had Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, and a social disorder known as sociopathy, which is linked to violent behavior. (For some insight, it is estimated that 50% of prisoners have this disorder.) Many organizations and facilities treat mental disorders and help those who have been diagnosed transition into society. Some of these organizations include the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the Child Mind Institute, Mental Health America, and, in West Virginia, there is Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities (BBHHF) in Charleston. You can help by volunteering money, or your time, or by simply spreading awareness. If you think you know someone who might have an undiagnosed mental disorder, encourage them to seek help. Mental illness is a serious thing, and if left untreated it can cause serious damage to the person it affects and the people around them; getting educated and spreading awareness about mental illness and how to seek help can make a big difference.
There are several ways you can help the community of Newtown directly. The Newtown Youth and Family Services is providing counseling to the community members who have been affected by this tragedy. The Newtown Memorial Fund, the Newtown Parent Connection, and the Sandy Hook School Support Fund are all collecting money to support the families of the victims by helping to provide counseling, helping to cover funeral costs, helping to create memorials for the victims, and even creating a scholarship for children who are graduating from Newtown Public Schools and attending college. The Save the Children foundation has set up a daycare at Newtown Middle School to care for children while parents receive grief counseling. The Red Cross also remained at the school to provided food and water to families and first responders. To help, you can donate money or time to any of these organizations. You can also help by spreading the word about these organizations and what they’re doing for Newtown.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that tragedy like this has occurred. Since 1982, there have been sixty-one mass murders in the United States involving guns, and it has been reported that there have been thirty-one school shootings since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. It has been estimated that these attacks have resulted in over a thousand deaths and injuries. Attacks like these can happen anywhere, and it’s scary to know that mass shootings could happen in an instance. However, we don’t have to lock ourselves indoors and cower in fear. We can be proactive and help make our country safer by making our voices heard and spreading awareness about these issues. You can help prevent other innocent people from being hurt or killed. You can help change how we view and treat mental illness in this country.
You can change our country’s future for the better.
Sources:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map?page=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_congressional_delegations_from_West_Virginia
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncontrol/a/Assault-Weapons.htm
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/30/obama-wants-ban-on-assault-weapons/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/gun-control-sandy-hook_n_2315304.html
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html