On September 28 around 1 p.m., a student of Townville Elementary School in Anderson County, Tennesse, released fire, leaving two students and one teacher injured. One of the students is in critical condition, and the other two victims were released later that day after seeking medical attention. The 14-year-old suspect behind the shooting is in custody, according to WYFF News (Anderson County's local news station.
Sadly, this is one of many mass shootings in the United States that has taken place within the past 30 years. According to Mother Jones, a database geared towards data-collection of mass shootings in the U.S., "Since 1982, there have been at least 84 public mass shootings across the country, with the killings unfolding in 34 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Forty-seven of these mass shootings have occurred since 2006." Along with a discrete but steady rise in mass shootings, there has also been a minute increase in violent crime rates overall in the U.S., according to the FBI.
Although under Mother Jones' mass shooting qualifications the Townville shooting would not be considered such, it is still one of the many violent crimes that has taken place not just in the U.S. but the world.
It seems as though we have come to a point where right and wrong no longer exist, or rather there is no unified moral code. Many lines are blurred, many minds and hearts are broken, and many lives have been lost. From Black Lives Matter to the conflicts overseas in Syria, from ISIS to the Sandy Hook Shooting, from the bombing in Istanbul earlier this August to the bombing in Paris last year, violence has swarmed our nation and seemingly swallowed it whole. For many of us, I know these things seem surreal. It's easy for us to turn off our TVs or exit out of facebook when these things show up in our feeds.
We have become desensitized to the violent world around us, and that is truly terrifying. I've never had strong opinions about much because I was always nervous of butting heads with others, but I do know this. This must end. To the families and students and teachers affected by the Townville mass shooting, to the people who live day-to-day wondering whether or not they will live, I am so sorry. I am not apologizing on anyone's behalf other than my own.
I am sorry for turning off the TV. I am sorry for muting the videos about your strife. I am sorry for showing indifference to your pain.
And for the people who believe it is far too late to revive this nation and this world, please restore your hope. We cannot make movements by idly standing by. I say this in accordance with my own null actions.
Show your utmost love and openness to what this world has to offer. Peace be with you all.
