Nashville is grieving, broken and angry. Citizens feel powerless and we have so many questions about why the fatal shooting at The Covenant School on Monday happened.
There are no words that can adequately capture or assuage the grief, especially in this time of shock.
We are united in that we are not OK.
We are generally in agreement in that our best intentions and hearts must be in support of the victims and their families.
We mourn Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; William Kinney, 9; Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
The suspected shooter is a 28-year-old former student who was killed at the scene.
We commend first responders and law enforcement including Metro Nashville Police Department for a prompt response.
Mass shootings continue to rise
Thoughts and prayers are only a start because we must remain united and uncompromising that this type of tragedy must never be acceptable.
The United States has seen an escalation in mass shootings over the years and 2023 has seen more than 100 in fewer than 100 days.
The No. 1 cause of death for children in the United States is accidental or intentional killing by firearms, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Parents pray and hope that their children’s school will be among the safest places. That is the way it should be.
Typically, after school shootings, we have seen a push-pull for more or fewer gun restrictions that become a distraction to the needs of those victimized by gun violence.
The 2022 massacre in Uvalde, however, led to bipartisan federal regulations, uniting gun control advocates and law-abiding gun owners in Congress, to try to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Meaningful change can come through debate and action
