In the USA, a 6-year-old child shoots a teacher: how to deal with violence

It’s one of those typical American stories. A 6-year-old boy takes a gun to school in his backpack and shoots his teacher. Fortunately, it looks like the teacher, Abby Zwerner, will survive.

But no one – not her, not the boy, not the other students at the Newport News, Virginia, school – will come out of the experience unscathed. Still, those who place gun rights above all other interests offer nothing more than thoughts and prayers, while the rest of us look around in defeat, wondering how we can live in a nation that simply accepts this kind of violence. as a routine cost of “freedom” to own weapons designed to end human life.

America’s insane gun culture and radically lax laws have led to dismal situations. Too many times we’ve seen dozens of elementary school students killed in classrooms by angry men barely out of high school.

Teachers must debate whether or not they should carry guns to protect themselves in school, as politicians tell them it’s the only way to defend themselves – while refusing to do anything to prevent gun violence, reducing gun violence. ease with which citizens can purchase them. Massacres break out in cinemas, nightclubs, supermarkets, malls, hospitals, churches, synagogues, music concerts and on public transport.

It doesn’t happen on this scale anywhere else in the world. And the reasons are clear: It’s the guns. Americans are not naturally more violent than citizens of any other country. But, when you add a bunch of guns to the mix, the violence becomes a lot deadlier a lot more often.

The story of the 6-year-old boy, however, has its own tragedy. The assailant is a small child, and although we cannot know for sure what was going on in his mind, hardly someone that age would be capable of premeditated murder in cold blood. Children that age still routinely believe that there are monsters in the wardrobe at night and that Santa Claus exists.

Only recently have they learned the names of colors, and many still don’t even ride a bike. Your baby teeth are just starting to fall out. They have already left the baby seat, use a booster seat to ride in a car.

WebMD warns: “Children at this age are still learning about sound, distance, and speed. So keep them away from the street. They still don’t know how dangerous a car or truck is.”

Do we really think a 6-year-old boy understands how dangerous a gun is?

That child – practically a baby – has now committed an act that may follow him for the rest of his life. It’s hard to imagine any criminal penalties being imposed, yet our country is also an off-character in how often we send children to the penal system.

Reports indicated that the child was in police custody. The delegate stated at the press conference: “We are in contact with the county public defender and some other entities to help us get better services for this young man.”

But a 6 year old is not a “young person”. He’s that much closer to being a baby. He undoubtedly needs help dealing with the trauma of what he has just experienced – and caused. Making sure he is well and being taken care of should be the top priority in his immediate future.

However, a serious mistake was made. It wasn’t an accident.

The issue is not what’s wrong with a 6-year-old boy for treating a gun like a toy. The question is what is wrong with the adult who made a gun available to a child – and what kind of responsibility do we expect from gun owners.

Gun violence is now the number one killer of children in the United States. More children die from being shot than from cancer or car accidents. We are the only country among our peaceful economic peers where this is true.

Accidental shootings make up a small proportion of gun deaths in the US. But some percentage of homicides are also the result of one person getting their hands on someone else’s gun. We often consider situations where the shooter is a child who didn’t intend to kill anyone as “accidental”. And yet, there is nothing “accidental” about having a deadly weapon in the house.

If a person wants to have a deadly weapon, he must, at the very least, be responsible for it. This means that an individual who does not properly care for his gun to keep it out of a child’s hands should be held accountable if that child kills or injures someone (the mother of the 2012 Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary school shooter paid for this mistake with her life, murdered by her son). Adults who fail to take care of their guns should be prosecuted in the criminal and civil spheres.

The same should be true for irresponsible parents who give their children guns that are used in school shootings or any other shootings, or help them obtain a gun license allowing them to kill.

A gunshot is a predictable result of having a gun in the home. Gun advocates often talk about their rights, but with those rights come responsibilities. And gun owners who are not responsible – who don’t keep guns locked away from ammunition in a secure storage system that a child can’t open – should be held accountable for negligence.

When it comes to guns, there are simply no accidents. The presence of a weapon itself creates the conditions for deadly violence. If an American wants to create those conditions, the current Supreme Court says it is his right. But they – not a 6-year-old – should be held accountable for the outcome.