Three Shootings in Small Town USA

Mom’s neighbor Nancy was visiting her mom in Canton, Ohio, while I was in WV. The talk of the town was the 12-year-old who took a rifle hidden in his trousers to the local school, near Nancy’s childhood home. The gun went off and shot him in the head, killing him.

This week, Nancy was driving back from Florida with her husband after attending her son’s spring baseball something or other. His college team played other college teams. Nancy and Bill went into a Pilot convenience store at a rest stop. While they were in line, a policeman entered and yelled at them to all hide in the back of the store. A couple in the parking lot were having a fight. The husband had a gun and was using their child as a shield. The SWAT team was on the roof of the Pilot and, after quite a long time, shot the man. Nancy and her husband were released to go on their way after four hours, stepping over lots of broken glass to get into their car.

My friend Judy’s son works at a UU church, where he’s a youth advisor. Two of his young charges have an older sister, 22, a medical student. She was shot to death recently in the local library when a 19-year-old with mental problems walked in and killed her. The 19-year-old had earlier approached police telling them he was hearing voices. The police couldn’t do anything until something happened. Well, something did.

While Parkland gets all the attention, these tragedies happen every day. Here’s a clue as to why nothing changes. I was with a group of senior citizens the other day waiting for the library to open. A woman brought up the student walkout to protest Parkland. She noted that gun violence seems to be getting worse. “There’s nothing we can do but leave it to Jesus.” Really? Marx was so right about religion being the opiate of the masses.

March 6-8