By Joe Walker
“Will an assault rifle make your child a big shot?”
Bad news travels faster than a speeding bullet. By now you’ve heard the story about a school shooting in Knoxville, TN a few weeks ago. A 15-year-old shot and killed a classmate in the cafeteria before school. I don’t think witnessing murder is anyone’s idea of a balanced breakfast.
When I was fifteen I witnessed several early morning altercations. No one was ever shot, though guns were apparently present. One of my least favorite memories of high school was a surprise police raid. Several students suspected of drug trafficking and gang affiliation had their lockers searched. Drugs and guns were found.
Back in January of this year a 46-year-old mother was arrested on gun chargers for buying her 14-year-old son three guns, among those a .22 caliber assault rifle. Police found an arsenal of more than 30 weapons in the teen’s room, along with bomb-making materials. The youngster and a friend were said to be planning an attack on their high school.
Several of these types of incidents happen across our country ever year. Residents in these communities are always surprised. I’m never surprised when I read about them, and I wasn’t surprised when my high school was raided. Part of being a teenager is becoming a self-absorbed know-it-all.
Teens go through a phase where they’re the most important person in their life. During this time their awareness to their surroundings becomes heightened, and they enjoy talking about themselves and what they’ve come to know. They notice everything, including the behaviors of their peers. Teens know who is up no good; they know who’s freaky, scary, and weird. They know who’s been made fun of. They know who does drugs, deals drugs, has a gun, in a gang, the persons they hate and would enjoy hurting. Every teen has one person they trust to keep a secret. Before you know it they’ve all told at least one person; the grapevine grows, sidewalks talk.
The pavement, and my eyes, told me I attended school with misguided youth. My schoolmates heard this conversation, and they each told someone about it. My mother told me about a boy in my school who dealt drugs. This let me know adults could hear us teens talking too. I – like my mother, and her mother before her – was taught right from wrong. I – like my teachers, and their teachers before them – was taught to pay attention. My parents and grandparents have been telling stories of community concerns as long as I can remember. They said people relied on each other, watched out for their youth. We affect one another. It is your business. Again, I wasn’t surprised by the raid, or by the students raided.
I’d be a fool to believe the 46-year-old mother didn’t know her child had a problem with school. It would be foolish to think the Knoxville boy’s parent(s) didn’t, at some point, detect his tensions. Being a teenager is one of the most conflicting emotional and social periods of a person’s life. Their self-absorbed nature hinges on acceptance and attention. We’ve all been there. As teens we were all figuratively “shot” and “killed” over something. And somebody… ALWAYS … knows!
New Resolution #38: Pay attention to the children of our communities. You just might save a life.
