My heart breaks just typing the word “elementary” when trying to write about the most recent school shooting, this time at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. My first thoughts upon waking these past few days immediately go to the horror those young children faced and to their parents, realizing that their first thoughts upon waking have been those that every parent dreads. Revelations about missed opportunities to stop the gunman only compound the tragedy.
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need surveillance cameras, panic buttons, gunshot detection or alarms – or even locks, for that matter. But the world isn’t perfect because humans are not perfect. Therefore, it becomes essential that we take all necessary precautions. We may not be able to prevent evil from rearing its ugly head. Still, we can certainly seek to eliminate the devastating “what ifs” that inevitably follow missed opportunities to avert tragedy. No parent should have to wake up to the thought of a child lost forever.
