COMMENTARY: School supplies: backpack, new shoes, bulletproof vest?

c. 1998 Religion News Service (Bishop Skylstad, bishop of the diocese of Spokane, Wash., is chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference Committee on Domestic Policy.) UNDATED _ Each fall, going back to school raises anxiety among children and parents. This coming school year, however, concerns may reach a new level, thanks to the brutal wake-up […]

c. 1998 Religion News Service

(Bishop Skylstad, bishop of the diocese of Spokane, Wash., is chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference Committee on Domestic Policy.)

UNDATED _ Each fall, going back to school raises anxiety among children and parents. This coming school year, however, concerns may reach a new level, thanks to the brutal wake-up calls that rang out last year from the once little-known hamlets of Pearl, Miss., Springfield, Ore., West Paducah, Ky., and Jonesboro, Ark.


These were quiet towns once, where residents went about their daily business, raised families, attended church and proceeded through the seasons living mostly isolated from the tempest of violence swirling around big cities. Many of us never even knew these towns existed. But now we associate their names with unbelievable violence by youngsters who decided the best way to solve conflicts at school was to gun down teachers and classmates.

This brutality shatters the emotional sanctuary of our schools and erodes the confidence that children feel when walking into their classrooms.

Does such barbarism result from a culture of violence spread via the entertainment media, hyped-up TV news and hatred spewed from some radio talk shows? To a degree, yes.

Is this violence a result of broken homes and rudderless children taught few moral lessons? Sometimes, sure.

Is it also the result of our own hardened hearts and hidden hatred of strangers or even our neighbors and friends? Sure it is. And is it the result of too many guns that are too easily accessible? You bet.

The U.S. Roman Catholic bishops have long decried our culture of violence in pastoral statements, the most recent of which called for more responsible behavior on the part of the media. Few institutions in the United States have done more to promote family values and offer family counseling and assistance to parents and their children. We will continue to do these things because we believe living non-violently and promoting loving families are part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

But many people may be surprised to know that since 1975, the bishops have also called for strong handgun controls. They have advocated for waiting periods; banning junk guns most often used in street crime; requiring gun registration and owner licensing; and restricting guns from juveniles, convicted felons, the mentally ill and persons with substance abuse problems. Some of these policies have been adopted by some states, but not universally.


Still, every day in America, 14 children under age 20 are killed by firearms through suicides, homicides and unintentional shootings.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the rate of firearm deaths among children up to age 14 is nearly 12 times higher in the United States than in 25 other industrialized countries combined. For every child killed by a gun, four are wounded. And the most disturbing statistic is that a gun in the home is 43 times more likely to kill someone you know than to kill in self-defense.

One wonders how quickly we would call for an end to a war that sent over 5,000 men and women home in body bags each year. My guess is that we’d have a pretty serious debate on the merits of such a war. We have a war at home and it is annually taking the lives of over 5,000 of our most precious resource: our children.

What can we do? We can require that all guns be sold with safety devices that would make it much more difficult for children to accidently discharge firearms. We can remove guns from our homes. We can increase penalties for gun dealers who sell guns to children. We can enlist the help of product safety organizations to test weapons for their safety. We can do more to discourage parents who leave weapons unlocked and accessible to children. We can educate children about the dangers of firearms through our schools and community organizations. All of these measures will help reduce the scourge of gun violence by and against children.

Reversing the violent behaviors of our children will take concerted efforts on many fronts. Examining our own hard-heartedness, rebuilding families, restoring respect for those in authority, reducing poverty, protecting children from violence in the media, and finding positive ways to channel their energy and even their despair are areas the church will continue to address over time.

However, simple measures that significantly reduce access to firearms by children is something that we can do now. We owe it to our children to do so.


DEA END SKYLSTAD

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