We all know it’s not guns, so what is it? Jason Anderson shares his thoughts on some root causes for these tragedies. READ MORE
by Jason Anderson
Any time a child loses their life… Especially at the hands of a murderer, it’s a horrific tragedy.
But, anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that gun control is not the answer. (Unless you want to give up your freedoms and end up living in a place where only criminals have guns, or under a communist regime like North Korea.)
So, how in the world can we stop these school shootings then?
Well…the other day, I read about two young women who were sentenced to jail for smuggling drugs around the world. Apparently, some rich guy paid them to carry the “cargo” to different places.
One of the young women said she did it to increase her Instagram followers so she could have pictures of her jet-setting all over the world.
My point is, these days, our young people are tremendously influenced by social media. Back in the day, if there was a bully, you got in a fight in the cafeteria and that was that. But now, people can tease and harass each other on Facebook and all of the other social media sites so these poor kids can be tormented 24-7, even when they leave school.
Case in point: When I was in high school, I tried out for the basketball team. On the night of tryouts, I had the flu and was really sick. But, I wanted to tryout so badly I went anyway.In the middle of tryouts, I suddenly threw up all over the basketball court. (I’m talking large chunks everywhere.) I ran to the bathroom to clean up and they wouldn’t let me finish the tryout. Of course, some kids made fun of me for puking everywhere and I think it lasted for probably two days and that was it.
But, imagine if that happened today.
No doubt, someone would have videotaped me puking all over the court. It would be put on YouTube and Facebook. It would probably have a gazillion views by now of me puking and then running to the bathroom. I would probably be reminded of my puking event for weeks upon weeks. (There goes my high school dating life.)
Geez, it’s rough to be a kid today, don’t you think?
The thing is, since social media isn’t going anywhere, parents have to monitor their children more closely. They’ve got to monitor Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, and text messages. They need to take a more active interest in their kids’ lives.
When someone says: “The shooter showed no signs they were going to do this…” I find it hard to believe. There’s always signs, always cries for help, as small as they might be.
No parent wants to believe their kid could be a murderer (and I don’t think my kids could be either). But, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to check their web browsing history or their phone when they’re teenagers. While they might not be preparing to do a school shooting, I still want to make sure they’re not doing drugs or other bad things. That is my obligation and responsibility as a parent. Remember, you’re their parent first, and their friend second.
The bottom line is, I do wish kids treated each other better. But, I don’t see that changing because since the beginning of time, kids have been bullying and teasing each other.
So, parents need to step up to the plate more and watch their kids and help them when they can see their kids are struggling.
I wish there was a “magic” pill or better answer to solve this problem.
But, I can assure you, to maintain our freedoms, taking away gun rights is not the answer and never has been.
Remember, the Second Amendment isn’t a suggestion… It’s a right.
Jason Hanson is a former CIA Officer and New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life. To get a free copy of his book, visit www.SpyEscape.com.
