I have to say something.
I listen to the mostly nonsense that I hear on social media and cable news and tell myself, Don’t, Elaine, just don’t. It’s not worth it. People think what they think, and nothing you say will make a difference.
But sometimes, it’s just, well, I admit, it’s just too hard to say nothing.
The kids, I don’t blame them. They’ve been traumatized. They need to lash out, at someone, at the system that let them down, at the adults who failed them. So they need to speak, and I say, let them speak. I don’t blame them for their ignorance, their naiveté, their idealism.
But I do blame those who are exploiting the kids. Those silly people who who say, “Run for president!” (that’s what someone on Facebook said about one of the spokeskids), who thrust microphones in their faces, who cheer when they curse their senators, who celebrate their protests, who encourage them to cast blame for their pain on a single solution. Get rid of the guns. Problem solved.
But “too many guns” is not what failed these kids.
Adults failed them.
The school system failed them.
Local law enforcement failed them.
Sheriff Scott Israel failed them.
The FBI failed them.
Social services failed them.
Mental health professionals failed them.
At any point along the path leading to this massacre, this shooter–a kid himself–could and should have been pulled off the trajectory.
But he wasn’t. From start to finish, the system failed. I don’t use this word often, but in this case, it works: it was epic.
Yet now, as if on cue, we’re talking about gun control. Hunting’s OK, sure. But guns for self protection? No. The average citizen doesn’t need a gun for protection, we’re lectured, because law enforcement will protect us.
Right.
How’d that work out for these kids in Florida?
Ironically, the failure of law enforcement in this tragedy actually underscores why the average citizen thinks he needs his gun for self-protection. Because now that the dust has settled, it’s quite clear, law enforcement isn’t always up to the task. It’s either inept, inefficient, incompetent, intimidated, or all of the above.
To repeat: From start to finish, I see this incident as epic fail on the part of law enforcement. And I’m disgusted at the cynicism of gun-control advocates who are shamelessly exploiting the grief and anger and vulnerability, and yes, ignorance, of teenagers who should be left to themselves to grieve and to heal, who should not be thrust into the limelight of a manipulative media frenzy.
