By Joseph Cyr
Typically, at this time of year, I like to write about all the joys and wonder that the Christmas holiday holds for both my children and myself. But this year, it just didn’t feel right given the horrific events that unfolded in Newtown, Conn. Friday when a gunman entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire on children and staff, killing 20 students and six staff members before taking his own life.
And for what? What could prompt anyone to take the life of a child? That is a question that will never be answered.
The impact has been far reaching. Social networking sites are filled with pleas to “hug your child closely today” or “say a prayer for the families” impacted by the horrific events. Nationally, President Barack Obama addressed the country twice on the matter, offering what little solace he could. And locally, high school sporting events also featured a moment of silence Saturday, as a solemn reminder for those who lost their lives.
Many local school administrators were busy Monday evaluating their district’s safety policies. After all, a parent has to have at least a little bit of comfort knowing their children are in a safe environment, which is what a school building should be, isn’t it?
If that means tighter security needs to happen in our local schools, so be it. As someone who has to go to schools on a somewhat regular basis for news events and photos, I am willing to wait a few moments outside, regardless of the weather, to have a locked door opened of it means keeping our kids safer. What parent wouldn’t feel better knowing that someone was not able to simply waltz into a school without any sort of screening process, as is the case with some of the schools in the area right now?
That is not to say we all need to enter a panic mode and lock down our schools. A happy compromise can surely be reached and I’m sure administrators in our districts are balancing those options as we speak.
Random acts of violence seem to be on the rise. Shootings in shopping malls and other places seem to be on the nightly news on a far too regular basis. Maybe because of that the question must be asked, “is our nation becoming desensitized to these acts?”
The incident in Connecticut is certain to rally those who will cry out for stricter gun control laws. But there is no guarantee that will solve the problem. If no individual were legally able to have a weapon, crime could surely spike since weapons would still be available, albeit illegally, to those who went looking for them.
In this part of the country, hunting is a tradition that has gone on for generations. Gun racks holding rifles were, at one time, proudly displayed in the back window of pick-up trucks everywhere in The County. Many youngsters learn to fire a rifle on hunting expeditions when they are no older than the children whose lives were lost Friday. To take away this important tradition would be wrong.
But that is not to say something could not be done. Are semi-automatic weapons, capable of firing multiple bullets in short order really needed in homes? Since I am not a gun person, I don’t have an answer for that question.
Tragedies are difficult to get through whenever they happen. But when they happen so close to the holidays, they seem to be magnified tenfold. No amount of condolences can comfort the families of those people. No words can help ease them through the terribly rocky road ahead.
On Christmas morning, there will be presents left unopened under the tree in the homes where children lost their lives. So perhaps for one brief instant, we can all take a moment to say a prayer for those families whose lives will be forever changed before tearing into presents or before sitting down to eat the family dinner.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times and formerly covered sports for the Aroostook Republican & News. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.
