I just finished 13 years as a k-12 teacher. I am headed to Temple in August to enroll in a master’s in journalism program. My heart bleeds for every Philadelphia parent who has lost a loved one; every Philadelphia student who has lost a classmate; every Philadelphia teacher who has lost a student; and all those who have lost friends and loved ones to gun violence. I know what it feels like to be at a student funeral and to watch your students grieve for a classmate. There are too many youth funerals in America. School shootings aren’t the only gun violence problem we have in America. Gun violence is a real and continuous trauma that all our students, teachers, and parents are struggling to confront.
If you do want to learn more about how school shootings fit into the larger picture of gun violence in America, and you want to inform yourself about school shootings, please talk to teachers and students. We know. We KNOW. And if you want to share, please don’t share conspiracy theories. Be a good human. Fact check. Cite credible sources. You know who has an informed opinion on whether or not teachers should be armed? Teachers. #neveragain #enoughisenough #uvalde #parkland #sandyhook
What should you do next? Register to vote. Then vote. #election2022 #vote
I do not care how you register. I am registered nonpartisan, unaffiliated and have been my entire adult life since I first registered to vote at 18. This has consequences; for example, I could not vote in my current state’s recent senate and gubernatorial primaries as Pennsylvania is a closed primary state. However, I am a political journalist, and I also do not believe the two-party system is effective (although it is the current system in America, and that reality matters), so I have reasons to be an independent voter.
It does not matter how you register. It matters that you register. It matters that you vote. It matters how you vote. It matters who you vote for. It matters how you act when the votes are being counted and how you act when the vote counts have been certified. Maintaining democracy is an active process — it requires participation from all those living in a country that is a functioning democracy who wish to continue to live in a country that remains a functioning democracy.
To inform your vote, pay for your local newspaper. They have the coverage you need for the community you care about. If you no longer have a local newspaper, pay for the most local newspaper you can find. If you can’t afford that, look for other options: many communities now have startups that are using email newsletters and social media to allow journalists to cover local news. You can always listen to public radio and watch public television. They’re free for a reason. They care. They fact check. #fourthestate #mediamatters #firstamendment
Gun violence is a uniquely American problem. We need solutions. We need solutions now. And we need to base those solutions on the truth and to base our policies, and our votes, on evidence and empathy.
Resources / what I sent my students and colleagues the day after Uvalde:
For journalism, but also for anyone else who needs data today:
The spate of gun violence shows American exceptionalism at its worst from The Economist https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/05/25/the-spate-of-gun-violence-shows-american-exceptionalism-at-its-worst
Sometimes it pays to read a non-American publication to get some perspective on a uniquely American issue.
I have very strong feelings on this, as my current Twitter feed makes obvious (I’ve been in k-12 for 13 years, and the first 11 were all in public schools; I have many, many lockdown stories).
As a journalist, a few things to note:
1. Mainstream American publications have tried to shift their coverage of mass shootings events to focus more on the victims and less on the perpetrators. If you compare coverage of Uvalde to coverage of Sandy Hook, you may notice things like: the perpetrator’s name is given for the first time farther down in the story and likely only stated once (or at least a minimum number of times); “manifestos” or social media posts that are violent and hateful are mentioned but likely not quoted and certainly not linked to; the perpetrator’s image is rarely printed (it used to be a common featured image). Think about why these shifts have occurred.
2. There will be lots of mention of mental health in coverage. Things to think about:
A. Our current understanding of the term “mental health” includes many conditions that make people more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators. Those with mental health conditions also face a higher likelihood of being victimized by state violence / facing violence from police, as this local story from last year illustrated.
Study source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1525086/
B. The number one predictive behavior that indicates someone is at risk of perpetuating the kind of violence that involves a mass shooting is violence against women. The shooter in Sandy Hook killed his mother before going to the elementary school. It appears the shooter in Uvalde shot and critically injured his grandmother before going to the elementary school.
Study source: https://efsgv.org/press/study-two-thirds-of-mass-shootings-linked-to-domestic-violence/
Laws that take guns away from people convicted of domestic violence exist but are rarely enforced.
The same is true of red flag laws that allow confiscation of guns for those at risk of harming themselves or others.
Today is a rough day for anyone involved in schools, especially elementary school teachers, parents and students. So be kind to the those in your lives who are facing a tough morning and be cautious and rigorously skeptical in how you consume news about Uvalde and other mass shootings in America. Unfortunately, there are many, many examples. America is a true outlier on this issue.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081.amp
Elizabeth DeOrnellas 