Yet more li’l sneakers that will forever remain empty in family homes in Uvalde, Texas. My heart aches at the tragic loss of 19 schoolchildren and 3 adults (I include the husband who died only two days later), as well as the pain and suffering of the injured and the community. Yes, we need to remove easy access to these weapons; better yet, let’s reinstate a national ban on assault weapons because these are only used for killing people, not hunting. While legislation proceeds along its bumpy road, we must avoid any glorification of these events.

I am concerned about the troubled young men who right now are watching the media coverage and hatching ideas of their own. The media needs to label these as cowardly acts. We must counter the gun manufacturers’ narrative that owning and firing these weapons of war is a sign of masculinity. Those children and teachers posed no threat and had little chance to escape the killer’s wrath. The 11-year-old girl who had the presence of mind to smear herself with her friend’s blood and play dead showed more courage than the shooter. 

These young men need to hear a clear message that such acts are incredibly cowardly. Let’s remove the glory, the access to these weapons of war, and work together towards a society where such tragedies occur rarely, if ever.

Janet Wright

Eugene