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A Travesty in Tragedy Robb Elementary
Patterns in Carnage
We were watching the news of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas together, when our 22-year-old had a few nuggets of truth. She said, “This will definitely change the gun laws.”
I appreciate her hope in humanity, but it won’t. This is the same thing that happened the last time… and the last time… and the time before that. It is a pattern.
For years now, the pattern repeats.
We are shocked, destroyed and devastated when a mass shooting happens. For one day it is all we see on the media. We will say our “thoughts and prayers” are with the families. We will say “How can this happen?” The next day involves wrangling of hands as we unravel the details and look for a motive. We can’t talk about making gun control measures, because “it’s too soon.” A motive is rarely found. The third day we focus on the innocent victims who were just buying groceries, practicing their faith or going to school. Our leaders say “the solution is to have armed teachers; we need more guns in this country.” We are encouraged to just start moving on. By the fourth day, it is on to the next story.
I worked in TV and am familiar with the “if it bleeds, it leads” news cycle. I get it.