Another school shooting; and another reminder that this may be the new normal. There have been 12 school shootings so far this year. Last year, there were 51 school shootings with injuries or deaths.
I wasn’t sure our audience would have much to say about this, considering how often it happens. I was pleasantly surprised that the talk lines lit up, and we actually got some really good comments as to why there are so many school shootings, and some really good suggestions about what can be done to reduce the number.
One suggestion came from a woman who insisted that prayers need to be put back in schools and not surprisingly, others reinforced that idea. One of the many problems with that suggestion is that the mass shooters are not all atheists. It would be wonderful if allowing schools to lead prayers would end the problem, but I don't see that happening. And if prayers led by teachers are allowed back in schools, that opens the door to Jewish, Muslim, all variations of Christian prayers to be included.
Some other suggestions that came from listeners included more security, metal detectors, a ban on assault-type guns, and red flag laws. But it was frequent WWL caller James from Harvey who had the most impactful comment when he talked about a fundamental change that might actually work to reduce school shootings. People responded positively to James because what he suggested should come naturally to most of us, especially those who profess that a turn away from Christian values is what got us into this mess - and if we all did what James suggested, maybe we could solve a few of America’s other problems too! Take a listen
