Of course, the nation can’t simply rely on reactionary efforts. For too long, Congress has failed to act in a meaningful way regarding gun control.
With Congress paralyzed and the nation bickering over answers following another deadly school shooting spree, a local student has provided a potent reminder of what people can do — now.
Arlington Central School District student Angela McDevitt is being credited, and rightly so, for foiling another school shooting, one a former student allegedly was planning to carry out at the Fair Haven Union High School in Vermont. McDevitt knows the accused, 18-year-old Jack Sawyer, who faces a slew of charges, including attempted aggravated murder and attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Officials say Sawyer recently purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition, and specifically intended to kill multiple students and the school resource officer. Sawyer reportedly detailed his plot in a journal he titled “Diary of an Active Shooter,” but he also had been text messaging with the Arlington student.
“I was very sad. I was very conflicted but I knew that I had to (report Sawyer’s messages) because it was a matter of lives at hand. It wasn’t a matter of just hurting someone’s feelings,” she told the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Remarkably, this all happened just days after 17 people were killed in an attack at a high school in Parkland, Florida. There, the story line is noticeably different. There, all sorts of warning signs were missed or ignored. Records show the shooting suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, had a history of trouble. In fact, the FBI received a tip last month that Cruz had a “desire to kill” and access to guns, but the agency failed to investigate further. It’s inexcusable and for too long the nation has been lax about gun control — about making a concerted effort to keep them out of the hands of those who clearly shouldn’t have them.
Of course, the nation can’t simply rely on reactionary tactics. For too long, Congress has failed to act in a meaningful way regarding gun control. Even the slaying of children — from the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 to the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings in 2013 — haven’t moved Congress to take bold, decisive action. That could, and should, run the gamut, from banning certain assault-style weapons and expanding background checks and wait times, to improving mental health and suicide prevention services.
While Congress sputters, student survivors of the Florida shooting rampage are calling for action — and also are calling for anti-gun violence demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and other cities on March 24. Millions likely will join them. People have a right to speak out. But they also, as we just witnessed, have an obligation to speak up.