August 2024
I was born in 1963, so an article titled, “1963: The Year That changed the World,” got my attention. (WCN, Vol. 20, Issue 5, page 12). That was late in 2019, but the subject of mass school shootings was soon overshadowed by COVID. Recent events in Louisiana, brought it back to mind.
Let me begin with a few related stories from my past. A now-deceased friend was giving me a tour of a nearby one room schoolhouse. He was trying to restore it to how it had been, when he attended. When I asked, “Where is the cloak room?” he asked how I knew of it. One of his older brothers had earlier mentioned that the teacher made them store their guns in it during lessons. After school, he and his fellows would shoot, “suckers” in a nearby creek to be pickled at home. Of course that was about 100 years ago.
Fast forward to my high school days (1978-1981). Nearly every pickup truck in the parking lot had at least one gun hanging in a rear window rack. Every year the week prior to gun-deer season our phys. ed. teacher dedicated the class to hunter safety instruction. He actually invited students to bring their guns, cased of course, and no ammo. Objectors got a pass to the library.
Back to that article, in which a timeline of mass school shootings is given. ...
