In the wake of the Texas school shooting … Guns instead of Pens?

Victims from the fatal shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas

By Dr. Hassan Humeida 

KIEL: It has been days since the fatal shots were fired. This time in an elementary school. The casualties? 22 dead, including 19 schoolchildren, two teachers and the perpetrator, who was to die from police shots so that no more people, especially schoolchildren and teaching staff, would be killed.

This despicable act was among the worst school shootings in history. An act that touched everyone’s heart, whether they are relatives of the victims or not.

Tess Mata, 10

Following the rampage and the death of innocent children, 14 girls, five boys and their two teachers, Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles (Irma’s heartbroken husband died two days later), many bitter questions remain unanswered.

They are logical questions that cannot be dodged or ignored. The perpetrator, who was considered a minor a few weeks ago, buys sharp and expensive weapons quite legally days later. He also equips himself with ammunition and in significant quantities. He even announced his act one on social media.

Alithia Ramirez, 10

The tragedy struck and it was not prevented, neither from the perpetrator, who was a child a few days ago, nor from the victims, who lost their lives.

There are reports of moments of horror during the crime. The perpetrator shot his own grandmother before moving on. Minutes later, he stormed into a school in his area after the announcement. These announcements are said to have surfed on social media as news and without checks.

We’re talking about death and murder here and nothing else – Is there a flaw in social media control systems or gaps in scrutinizing such cases, following them up and immediately reporting them to the appropriate authorities in order to avoid or minimize risks?

Layla Salazar, 11

The worst scene was played in the classroom. Children who have been desperately trying to reach their parents on their cell phones for help. They were all seeking crucial assistance so they wouldn’t have to lose their lives.

Some parents noticed and wanted to see their children. They included well-trained police officers, but they did not find quick access. The help came with a delay and it was too late for everyone.

Uziyah Garcia, 10

Sad pictures of dead children lying in the arms of their two teachers who bravely tried to protect their students from the perpetrator’s shots with their own bodies. They too lost their lives in the madness.

Politicians and decision-makers met on the day at the site of the incident to legalize the arms trade locally. May the arms business boom, no matter what the cost, and money outweighs everything!

It’s a difficult thing to think about guns when they reached an elementary school. Guns take the lives of children and their teachers in an instant. Even relatives are not spared and some of them had cardiac arrest from shock. Siblings, classmates, teachers and relatives remain traumatized forever.

From a social and psychological point of view, the perpetrator is also a victim of his/her surrounding circumstances that were not recognized and treated in time.

Makenna Lee Elrod, 10

Perhaps the right understanding of their problem would be the right way to avoid catastrophe.

A child who has a loud lisp or stutters, and is constantly bullied and beaten by his classmates.

A loner who finds no family support and struggles against his own mother’s drug addiction without success. He even tries to earn his living through internships and jobs and still fails in the end.

Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10

Whenever a tragedy strikes a community, a nation and the world, people are deeply shocked and politicians and decision-makers express concern concerned and something must be done immediately.

This sentiment of compassion is seen as a good gesture of sympathy for the affected families, but it does not bring the lost ones back.

The real issue is that weapons are in private hands and their trade must be strictly regulated or even banned. With that, the problem can and hopefully be treated.

Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10

What matters is that we should be proud of our own children as a healthy generation of the future living and thriving in a peaceful society.

An excerpt from my children’s book “The Sorrow of Mamoun”, published in 2017.

The production of weapons (22):

When man thought about making weapons, he didn’t think about the consequences of weapons and armament. It became possible for every human being to buy and own weapons and to remake them.

Why does a person buy a gun? What is the motive for owning a gun? Why are guns made? Is it because people are afraid of other people? Is it to show off in front of other people? Does he just like guns? Or is the motive perhaps to protect oneself? Protecting yourself from violence and oppression? Is it a glorious protection in which man must kill in order not to be killed? Is it a game for playing with human lives?