17 Years Later...

Columbine.
What a horrible, horrible hell.
It is seventeen years later and we still have school shootings.
We still have people with guns right next door.
On Friday a girl I knew since she was 3 was shot and killed.
This was the first time when someone I loved and knew well was killed by a gun.
I have always abhorred guns.
My father had a lot of violent tendencies and was a smart man.  He always said that he was so glad we didn't have a gun in the house.  He hated guns too, and was smart enough to know that a gun would have made it all too easy.
Read the article and pay attention to what the "hero" who subdued the shooter said about the shooter:
“He was yelling 10 times, ‘Get out!’ and they wouldn’t leave. Then I heard a scuffle and stuff breaking. Then,” Mr. Cox said, “he did what I would’ve done.”
Really?
Really.
Yes.
A few weeks ago we were trained at work for an active shooter.
ALICE training.
The training was very good.  During a portion of the training we were played a 911 call from the library at Columbine High School to hear what happened when students and staff were trained only to "lock down."  The same thing happened at Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook.  We don't want kids to be sitting ducks.
If you haven't had or heard of ALICE training, just know this:  don't let your kids or anyone just sit there in lock down.  Get out.  Barricade.  Run in a zig zag.  Throw things.  Scream.  Do what you must do to make a great, noisy, fuss and get them out.
For me, I don't work in a situation where I am alone with minors or other at-risk individuals alone. But I understand how the temptation for accountability would make the order to RUN confusing.  If the kids run, they will be scattered, they will be lost.
But the officer doing our training said something that will haunt me forever.
"We would much rather say to a parent, 'We don't know where your child is right now, but she is out there somewhere and we will find her.,' instead of 'We know right where your child is.,'" and have to point to the ground."
Last week I was in Denver and I drove to the suburb of Littleton to see the city's library.  It has a wonderful reputation and my visit there was just excellent.  Everyone I met was lovely and excited about their service to the community.
I guess it was because of the ALICE training.  And also because of my fear that a gun nut will be elected president and appoint a gun nut to the Supreme Court.  And also because I had just seen Bowling for Columbine again.  I drove by Columbine High School and it was hard.  It was hard and sad and just so sad.
And today is April 17 and Melissa is dead.  And I am listening to Columbine.
And I am sad.
I think about the fact that on the same day as the Sandy Hook hell, a guy with a knife attacked children in China and no one died.  They were injured yes.  But no one died.
So what is the gun argument again?