Hearing that there was another shooting at a U.

Thursday, March 02, 2000

Hearing that there was another shooting at a U.S. school to start off the new year was probably a shock for anyone who picked up the paper earlier this week.

But to find out that the trigger was pulled by a 6-year-old made many Americans shudder even more this week.

What is even more discouraging than the fact that this child chose to settle a spat with a classmate in this manner is the story of where the child got the gun in the first place.

It seems that the little boy lived in a flop house – a place frequented by drug dealers and drug abusers. The child found the loaded gun lying on a table – and decided to take it to school.

That brings up several points to ponder. First of all, when the boy’s father heard that there was a shooting at the elementary school, he said he "had a sinking feeling" that the youngster involved was his son. If this father was truly concerned about the environment his son was living in, why didn’t he seek help? Secondly, what is America doing about children who must endure conditions like this? Is there a way to save them from becoming criminals or to teach them that violence is not the way to resolve their differences?

And, finally, and most importantly, does this forever silence the people who say that violence is not a product of the environment in which a child grows up? Could we maybe extrapolate that theory to reinforce the argument that children need to be exposed to as little violence as possible during their formative years when they are setting their path for the future?

Another shooting is a tragedy, no matter how you look at it, but this one is a particularly heart-wrenching. In addition to a comment on schoolyard violence, it also proves that the people who say we are failing our children might just have a point.

This is definitely one little boy who couldn’t count on the adults in his life – and a little girl paid for it.