In the past several years we have seen an increase in shootings and threats of explosives in our schools across America.
In the past several weeks in South Carolina we have seen reports from Law Enforcement Agencies through out of students being arrested for bringing firearms to their school.
Several question have arisen throughout such reports.
Why are these children bringing these firearms? Where are they getting them from? Why did no one notice their behaviors before? And should we be treating them as criminals and locking them up?
The first question of “Why are they bringing them?” is usually answered with fear of a bully or threats from other students. Our society has given way to a new generation of fear for our children. We teach them to fear everything that is a part of natural childhood. And isolate them in a bubble hoping it will protect them. But does the bubble do more harm than good?
The second question is a bit more closer to home than most people wish to admit. “Where are they getting these guns from?” Most of these children bring them from home. As parents we believe our children understand the dangers of firearms, and we trust our children never to touch them without adult supervision. But the fact is, fear in most of these cases is a big motivator and can easily alter a child’s understanding of right and wrong.
“Why did no one notice their behavior prior?” Well, someone probably did but out of fear of overstepping bounds in today’s society chose not to say anything. We believe children would tell parents or a teacher if anything was wrong, but then there’s that bubble! We teach them to fear strangers and to stay quiet (don’t rock the boat mentality).
Many professionals have stated that these children should not be handled as hard criminals, but should be sent to treatment for their actions.
Victims of children shooters tend to blame the weapon or the child themselves, but in reality society has changed to a point of simply not understanding. No parent should have to mourn the loss of a child at the hands of another child. And in days gone by this was never an issue growing up.
So, the real question is what has changed in our societal behavior and views that has brought us to this point?
Too many children live in fear of a normal childhood today.