GUEST EDITORIAL
Shootings in Schools
By John J. Russell Ed.D., Head of The Windward School
John J. Russell Ed.D., Head of The Windward School
After a mass shooting in Australia 20 years ago, a concerted public outcry resulted in severely restricted access to weapons. Since that time, there have been no mass shootings in Australia. Since the 2012 shootings in Newtown, there has been no meaningful legislation enacted limiting access to military-type assault weapons, and there have been at least 239 school shootings nationwide. In those attacks, 438 people were shot, and 138 were killed.
In the grim statistics of school shootings, no nation comes close to our level of violence and gun-related deaths. I believe that the protection of responsible gun ownership and the prevention of gun violence can both be achieved through thoughtful and forceful legislation. It is past time to deny unrestricted access to weapons and ammunition that have no legitimate sporting or recreational purpose.
As a first step towards providing children with safe and secure schools, lawmakers need to enact legislation to ban assault rifles. This action will reduce the carnage that is occurring in our schools, and it is within the power of elected officials to make it happen. Their failure to act in the face of the continuing murder of innocent children is at a minimum dereliction of their responsibility.
Please consider joining me in writing to government officials to demand that they enact legislation to protect our children from the unspeakable violence of school shootings by banning military-style assault weapons. #
