2008 Woodie Awards
Virgina Tech shooting changes life instantly
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Opinions
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Few moments in life leave us at a complete loss for words. Monday afternoon was one of those moments.
The nation began the week with the news that several students at Virginia Tech were injured and killed in a random act of violence. By Monday evening, 33 were declared dead and 15 injured in the worst school shooting in American history.
Many 24-hour news networks have dedicated all of their coverage to the tragedy on campus. Reporters on the scene updated viewers with new developments, Virginia Tech students appeared on air to describe what they saw and heard and experts discussed what causes an individual to commit these horrendous acts.
Unfortunately, none of this reporting or speculation will ever fully explain why an atrocity like this occurred.
School shootings take place with greater frequency now than in past generations.
In the coming weeks, endless debates will occur over security measures in school, the use of metal detectors in buildings and the Second Amendment. This discussion is potentially endless, and, ultimately, no solution will be reached as to what could have been done to prevent this incident.
Eight years ago tomorrow, the Columbine shootings occurred. Eight years later, we do not understand what drives an individual to murder their classmates senselessly.
The question now becomes this: Eight years after the Columbine shootings, what have we learned?
We have not learned how to identify a potential shooter. In all the school shootings committed in this country the past eight years, the profile of the shooter has been different. Many of the shooters are described as loners, but most people described as loners are also not shooters.
We also have not learned when a shooting will occur. Shootings are unpredictable and usually unrelated. The only way to predict when violence will happen is to act on threats, but this only works if threats are received and taken seriously.
Have we learned anything about how to put an end to school violence?
The nation began the week with the news that several students at Virginia Tech were injured and killed in a random act of violence. By Monday evening, 33 were declared dead and 15 injured in the worst school shooting in American history.
Many 24-hour news networks have dedicated all of their coverage to the tragedy on campus. Reporters on the scene updated viewers with new developments, Virginia Tech students appeared on air to describe what they saw and heard and experts discussed what causes an individual to commit these horrendous acts.
Unfortunately, none of this reporting or speculation will ever fully explain why an atrocity like this occurred.
School shootings take place with greater frequency now than in past generations.
In the coming weeks, endless debates will occur over security measures in school, the use of metal detectors in buildings and the Second Amendment. This discussion is potentially endless, and, ultimately, no solution will be reached as to what could have been done to prevent this incident.
Eight years ago tomorrow, the Columbine shootings occurred. Eight years later, we do not understand what drives an individual to murder their classmates senselessly.
The question now becomes this: Eight years after the Columbine shootings, what have we learned?
We have not learned how to identify a potential shooter. In all the school shootings committed in this country the past eight years, the profile of the shooter has been different. Many of the shooters are described as loners, but most people described as loners are also not shooters.
We also have not learned when a shooting will occur. Shootings are unpredictable and usually unrelated. The only way to predict when violence will happen is to act on threats, but this only works if threats are received and taken seriously.
Have we learned anything about how to put an end to school violence?