Reacting to a Chilling Tragedy

It happened again. 

A school shooting took place at The Covenant School in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee last Monday. It was a private Christian grade school, and a total of six people were killed — three adults and three kids. 

This was the thirteenth school shooting that injured and/or killed someone this year. 

Emotions are running high throughout the entirety of the country, and people are reacting in a multitude of different ways. 

Nashville Mayor John Cooper told a CNN reporter that he was “overwhelmed at the thought of the loss of these families, of the future lost by these children and their families.” 

Cooper also told CNN that he appreciated the quick response from the police department. 

Here at Elon, Director of Student Life Jon Dooley sent out a heartfelt email to the entire student body the day after the shooting. He expressed his inner turmoil as lives are lost to gun violence daily, but he cannot write a message every time that happens. 

The intent of his email was to “...bring comfort and peace with the disorientation, fear, and helplessness that many of us are feeling as we struggle, and process, and grieve.” 

Dooley concluded the message by telling students that his door is always open if needed and added parting words of peace. 

In contrast to his non-combative message, a heated political discussion has erupted around the country from both sides of the spectrum. 

The shooter, Audrey Hale, identified as transgender. This allowed conversations to steer away from what can be done to fix America’s mass shooting problem and took focus away from the victims. The current gender identity conversation within the U.S. is polarizing to say the least. 

Some prominent Republican figures have suggested that the shooter’s identity factored into the murders through social media posts. 

U.S. Republican senator J.D. Vance Tweeted out his thoughts on Monday night. 

The Tweet read, “We’re still learning about the horrific shooting in Nashville. But if early reports are accurate that a trans shooter targeted a Christian school, there needs to be a lot of soul searching on the extreme left. Giving into these ideas isn’t compassion, it's dangerous.” 

Democratic political representatives are firing back and attempting to push the conversation toward gun control laws. 

Democratic Caucus Chairman Peter Aguilar told reporters that lawmakers must pass meaningful gun safety legislation and need to “look at every possible way to do so,” in a news conference last Tuesday. 

Some schools are making tangible changes. 

In Cullman, Alabama, West Elementary School  has implemented a new pilot program with bulletproof pullout shelters inside classrooms. This school was chosen to test KT Solutions’ Rapid Access Safe Room (RASR). 

A TikTok video about the RASR was posted to @nowthis, demonstrating how it works. The comment section has a wide range of emotional comments. 

@Sarrahdesasso commented, “The fact that we need this is so sad.” 

Another user, @eatingwithmomma, wrote, “there should be one in EVERY classroom across the country!”

Conversations of gun control and changes are spreading like wildfire throughout the U.S. Regardless of your personal beliefs, the Nashville shooting resulted in a devastating loss of life, and those lives will be remembered.