Mother’s Notes: Lockdowns- Our Answer to Prevent Mass Killing of Children

Lockdown is a term usually associated with prisons.  For those of us not directly exposed with the prison system, we usually hear it in movies or TV shows. However, since the killing of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary 2012, many states have enacted these drills, much like they do fire and tornado drills.  I get calls, texts and emails letting me that these drills take place, but for some reason, as if my sons dying in a fire or tornado isn’t bad enough, the lockdown is what shakes me to my core.  

My 10-year-old was in kindergarten when the 1st graders at Sandy Hook Elementary died.
When I would see their angelic faces flashing across the screen, in my selfishness, I think
of my sons. When I see any child victim, whether that is in these mass killings or the ones
pictured on my local news, I cry and then hug my sons. That is what I do, I put myself in
and feel the pain of others.  The word is called empathy, which I try to pass to my sons.
Those specific children would be in 6th grade now hadn’t been for the evil that happened
that day. Surely, someone who wants to ban truly evil people from getting military grade
weaponry by banning them would understand?  Who really needs a weapon of war?  
Instead, we were told not to make it political and the 2nd Amendment is more important
than the children (which is funny as most 2nd Amendment absolutists seem to be
“pro-life”, check any “conservative” family or friends social media page if you want or
listen to their pundits).  I guess the lives of those children were seen as “collateral
damage” to protect an absolute gun right, and every life in all the mass killings since all
the same.  

When he was in 1st grade, I received a call from his elementary school that the students
participated in a lockdown drill and “it went very well.”  Since then, I have received
these messages every year, usually in the fall.   Last night, after the shooting in Florida,
I finally gathered my courage to ask them what do they do during a lockdown drill.  
They explained to me that the students and teacher are to lineup out of range of sight
from the door window and turn off the lights.  They are to remain quiet in hopes that an
active shooter walks by their classrooms.  Basically, this is when the “conservative”
policy of “thoughts and prayers” kick in...  my children, their classmates, teachers and
staff must rely on fate and hope that a deranged monster walk past their classrooms?  
This is what our society has become, to terrorize our youth?  Much like the fear of
nuclear bombs being dropped on our heads in 1970’s.  We could have done something
about that too.  We are always reluctant to do what is right.

Some absolutists have proposed the idea of arming teachers and having armed security.
Many of you no longer have children in school, so let me explain to you, many school
districts, like mine, a police officers or security guards assigned to the schools.  My
local police would not advocate for armed security at these schools, let alone the teachers
being armed.  All I could foresee are more children dying in crossfire. Why do
absolutists think everything is like some Hollywood movie? Plus what is the goal here?
Isn't it bad enough that we have trained police officers who will shoot unarmed children
and teenagers, claiming they felt threatened by the "perp." Imagine these types of
shootings happening except with teachers instead of police officers.  And like the police
shootings, it will probably be black and brown students disproportionately be victims of
these shootings.

So once again, I am asking my 2nd Amendment “all or none” loved ones:  
What is the answer?  I have asked at least my father, but it was touchy for him. I have
assured him that I am not for banning all guns, just the assault rifles. We, like with
every political argument, went off on another tangent.  So I never got my answer. So I
asked this question once on a social media platform.  I received a reasonable and
and moderate answer from a distant relative of mine.  (I think he is a police officer,
though I am not sure.)  He believed in background checks, etc.  He did not believe in
banning “any type of specific” gun.  At the time, my patience was lost, I think it was
after the Orlando shooting. There have been so many since then, it is difficult for me to
tell exactly when I posted this question.  I wish I would have kept the dialogue going
with him. In my shame, I didn’t follow up to ask why he didn’t think these weapons of
war should be banned?  Would it because the NRA paranoid picture of the government
pulling a Ruby Ridge? (I never argued there are not instances for their paranoia being
true.) I would never support the government coming to “take guns away” from any
“law-abiding” citizen.  I recently learned that until 2004, these weapons were
banned. So why can’t we go back to them being banned?  What is the “love” affair or the
disturbing obsession with these weapons?  Admittedly, I do not own a gun, and I have
never fired one or even held one, but I get the power that someone might feel holding
one.  The fear one could instill in those around them that is a powerful feeling.  It’s one
reason that those who want to intimidate other human beings would want want any gun,
let alone one that could kill multiple people in a few minutes.  One report stated that it
only six minutes for the Florida mass killer to kill 17 people.

From my side of the aisle, because to Americans there are only “two” sides to an
argument and never many, many pro-gun regulation people have proposed some
reasonable solutions.  One solution is to ban all weapons of war, but those who own
them will keep them. Many state and local governments offer “buy back” programs
already for cities plagued with gun violence, so we could do the same on a federal level.
Or if that is not palatable, another solution is that weapons of war would need a higher
standard background checks and waiting periods.  If the true goal that the good guys
get the weapons, who have no intention of using them against other human beings.  
However, if you are “law-abiding” I can’t imagine the problem with some type of laws
to decrease gun deaths.  Actually, my plea is for gun owners of all political ideologies
to come up with a solution other than “everyone should be armed.”  Maybe those
politicians might listen to you all instead of the gun lobby and manufactures.

Victims and survivors are presenting solutions everyday, but all seem to fall on deaf
ears in Congress.  The tears and cries on television and Internet are silenced by groups
and multimillionaire pundits shouting down any hope of reasonable gun regulations.  
All I know those groups fighting for gun control and gun owners need to be louder than
the well-paid voices.  My children’s, other children’s, and all our lives are in your
hands. Meanwhile, as time goes on, I wait for more mass killings, and I will keep
crying, signing petitions, writing on here and my politicians, and pleading us to do
something.  Now, even the young people have had enough, the victims/survivors of the
Parkland shootings are taking to the street demanding change. I am more than happy to
support their voices.