By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

The words I keep seeing on social media, “It’s not supposed to be like this.”

We kiss and hug them goodbye; we tell them, “Have a nice day – make good choices,” and watch them exit the car or climb into the bus. We don’t think this is the last time we’ll see them. We don’t imagine that they won’t be coming home. We won’t let ourselves go into that darkness of thought until it happens again. Another place, another shooter, another family that never thought something so heinous was possible – not in their schools, not in their churches, not in their stores. Evil lurks armed and dangerous.

We wrestle reconciling the rights of the responsible and the necessity to deny those same rights to the wicked before they’ve committed some iniquity – before they’ve taken an innocent life. We are looking for a measure of prevention to protect the innocent without restricting accountable citizens’ right to bear arms.

“The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is sickening in every way, shape, and form — a tragedy that is unspeakably heartrending for those parents and students and our entire nation. Sadly, this is not the first time we have witnessed such a stomach-churning event. As someone who was targeted by a deranged gunman at the Congressional baseball shooting, I know that there is a place for debate on sensible actions we can take to protect our communities while at the same time respecting Constitutional rights. But I also think we need to take a hard look at the deeper cultural issues that are behind these events,” said Representative Brad Wenstrup. “Examining and understanding what is going wrong within our homes, our society, and our communities that would lead a person to act out in such violent measures might just might enable us to stop the repeat of these horrifically painful events year after year.”

According to ScientificAmerica.com, the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, ranks second among the worst mass school shootings since Columbine in 1999. At least 19 children and two adults were slain at the Uvalde shooting on May 24. A May 25, 2022, report on www.marca.com explained that parents were waiting outside the Uvalde civic center for DNA test results as “the victims’ bodies were unrecognizable due to the firepower used.” Sarah Zhang explains in her 2016 article for www.wired.com, “All guns can kill, but they do not kill equally.” She expounded that the AR-15 was initially designed for special operations, and the bullet from an AR-15 does a different kind of violence to the body.

One can’t help but look at the pictures of the victims’ faces without asking themselves what can be done? How far do we take gun rights and gun reform? How do we protect citizen rights and keep our institutions from invasion and human destruction?

Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rogers statesd, “Nobody knows why these things happen. One person blames this and another that. The schools do need to be fortified.” On May 26, 2022, www.nbcnews.com reported that the school (Uvalde) had an extensive security plan. As the investigation continues, more is being discovered and reported on how the perpetrator entered the school and was allegedly barricaded in a classroom.

There were warning signs and messages via social media. On May 26 www.washingtonpost.com reports that the shooter, “On May 17, a day after he turned 18, he visited a gun store to buy an AR-style rifle. He bought a second one a few days later.” The article included, “There were a series of cryptic social media messages — including to apparently random teenage girls in Germany and California — that offered photos of rifles, ammo, and hints of his desire to hurt and kill.”

The Defender reached out to Dailey’s Outfitters in Peebles, Ohio, to ask about the background check process for people buying a firearm. Dwayne Dailey explained, “It goes through the FBI NICS system (National Instant Criminal Background Check System).” The process takes anywhere from five minutes to three business days. The Defender asks under what conditions a weapon is denied. Dailey answered, “They don’t give us a reason. They just tell us whether it proceeds or is delayed.” He continued, “There’s a lot of misinformation out there where people think there’s a loophole or you can buy a firearm without a background check, but commercially, any business has to do a background check.” According to www.fbi.gov, “If the FBI cannot make a determination within three business days of a background check, the FFL may transfer the firearm, unless prohibited by state law (per the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993.)”

The Adams County Ohio Valley School District prioritizes the safety of children and staff. Superintendent Richard Seas states, “Safety is of the utmost importance. We’ve always taken safety seriously. We currently have three SROs (School Resource Officer) in each attendance area – Peebles, West Union, North Adams, and a Safety Director, Mike Parker.” Seas continued, “We’ve ramped up, and we’ve increased the measures in place for safety.”

Mr. Seas communicated that legal counsel had advised the district not to arm staff members. On June 23, 2021, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that school staff must take a 700-plus hours of peace training before carrying a gun to work. Seas stated, “This is a nation’s worst nightmare. There’s a lot more to safety than just arming a staff member, which needs to be discussed. What are you doing on the prevention side? I’m proud of a lot of what we’ve done here. We’ve worked with the health department. We will spend $300,000 over the next three years working with the University of Cincinnati. We have what is known as a stabilization program where we can address student needs mental health-wise.”

Mike Parker, the district’s Safety Coordinator, and the school resource officers are certified Deputy Sheriffs. He states, “We put out small fires daily before they become big fires.” He and Thomas Putnam (SRO) have completed the Trauma-Informed Practitioners Training and are certified. Of the training Parker said they are “Identifying the problems, trying to mitigate whatever is going on, and sending available resources their (students’) way and to the parents. It has proven very fruitful in the fight against mental health.” Seas interjected that staff is informed about the program Handle with Care. According to the handwithcareohio.org website, “If a law enforcement officer or other first responder encounters a child during a call, that child’s name and three words, HANDLE WITH CARE, are forwarded to the school/childcare agency before the school bell rings the next day. The school implements individual, class, and whole school trauma-sensitive strategies so that potentially traumatized children are ‘Handled with Care.’ If a child needs more intervention, on-site trauma-focused mental healthcare is available at the school.”

Parker also notes that Adams County is home to the Tactical Defense Institute (TDI), located in West Union. TDI offers firearms and physical self-defense training for civilians, law enforcement, and the military. TDI owner, John Benner, reports that they provide a class on “active killers.” He stated, “We’ve done all kinds of stuff across the United States. We work for the International Association of Law Enforcement.” He continued, “The bottom line is if somebody isn’t there who has a firearm at the scene – it just takes too long. There are layers of protection that they need to have in school.”

The ACOVSD performs three theatrical shooting drills per school year. Parker states, “The staff and students are all involved in testing procedural reaction time, security with the facilities, and testing alarms.” He continued, “We always like to go above and beyond, so we have tabletop drills where we get staff together and give them a scenario and let them talk through it.” Parker describes a modified version of the tabletop drill in which a student and staff are given a verbal scenario. This drill incites good conversation and problem-solving processes.

Tiffany Walsh, a fifth grade teacher at North Adams Elementary School, responds to Tuesday’s shooting, “I’m devastated. It’s just horrible. I had 19 kids in my class this past year. What if that were my kids?”

Parker communicates that the Adams County community response to the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has been one of support. Some have asked, “What do we need to do next year? What can we do differently?” Business owners have also reached out, willing to donate resources. He states, “We are a tight-knit community here. When it comes to our students, everybody stands together when it comes to safety.”

During many conversations this week, I have been reminded of a time before Columbine when school shootings weren’t something for which we rehearsed. There was a time when school felt safe, and the only drills practiced were for fire or tornado, and most children were glad for the break that got them out of classroom work. Humanity is sacred so let’s hope for healthy debate, wise counsel, and collective concern as lawmakers face this challenge. Social media has gotten at least one thing correct – it’s not supposed to be like this.