What happened in Uvalde, Texas, should never happen. There are no words for it, nor the twenty-six other mass school shootings that have occurred in 2022 so far.  Politicizing these tragic events for party gain just demonstrates how far our nation has fallen from the character and fabric with which we originated. The arrogance of politicians using the unnecessary loss of life of innocent children to push an agenda disgusts me, especially when most of those particular politicians oversee states that claim more of the mass school shootings than their counterparts.

That’s right, blue states have made up seventeen of the twenty-seven mass school shootings in this year alone -- almost double those in red states.  That’s a reality that needs to be contemplated. Why is this and what are they doing to correct it beyond pushing the stripping away of guns, thus disarming everyone but the criminals and the crazies?

Who is sending money to end the war being perpetrated upon our children as they lie victim to the crossfire of our broken society and system? We are commanded to send our kids to school and then are required to accept an educational program that deters students from learning as opposed to inspiring them. Kids shouldn't hate going to school in my book. And if that isn't enough, we are commanded to embrace a structure that has failed to evolve with the times to the extent of keeping our kids safe. Most states still don't mandate CPR or First Aid certification among teachers. 

If we truly wanted protection for our children in such settings while being realistic about where we are at as a secure nation, there is plenty that we could do to lessen the danger. This includes the requirement of all teachers having minimal safety certifications -- with CPR, First Aid, and gun usage and care at the top of that list. Then we should make guns accessible to teachers in those environments, properly placed and stored, of course. And if you worry about the intelligence and capability of teachers using those guns, then maybe you should think about whether or not those put in charge of molding the minds of our future are truly capable of doing that side of the job too.

These mass school shootings didn’t originate on the days that they took place. They began and happened over and over again in the minds of the shooters well before then -- kids our nation has already failed lashing out.  That isn’t the gun's fault but the consequence of a government bypassing the true health and welfare of families in exchange for greed and power.

There is no further excuse for this kind of governance.  If the people don’t finally stand up and stop it, it will be as if we helped pull the trigger, every time. Why do we continue to agree to a system that has everyone crying after the fact?

Laura J. Wellington is a former teacher, an award-winning Author as well as children's television creator, TEDx Speaker, and the founder of THREAD MB. She began her career in technology.  

Image: Angr