What an achievement! The first commercial spacewalk by a daring billionaire tech CEO Jared Isaacman, who funded this program which was operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. I am amazed to see the courage of Mr. Isaacman. Notably, this is not a project by NASA but of a private SpaceX mission. That’s the progress in science and technology.
Mr. Isaacman’s first words, “Looks like a perfect world”. How can it be perfect in the USA when a 14-year-old student killed students and teachers in a high school compound in Winder, Georgia? It was AR 15-style assault rifle at the hand of a teenager! Did he buy it? No. It is from his house owned by his father. What a family! His father was arrested. According to CNN this is the 45th high school shooting so far in 2024.
However, the politicians do not care about gun shooting or gun control. In the recent Harris-Trump debate, there was no question asked about gun control. Though in general the crime rate is not at a peak as claimed by Trump in the debate, it is decreasing. However, gun murders and gun suicides are increasing.
In counting gun related deaths, the CDC included murders, suicides and all other categories. It is alarming to me that in 2021 reports indicated that Mississippi topped the list. Even living around MUW campus, sometimes we hear the scary sound of gunshots. See the chart shown.
Another statistic indicated the gun death rate in the USA is the highest when compared with the other developed countries. According to Gun Violence Archive, as of Sept. 5, there have been at least 11,598 gun deaths in the U.S. And injuries are more than double. During COVID year of 2021, the number of active shooter incidents topped the lists (61 incidents) as reported by Pew Research Center.
Out of all the types of gun violence, school shootings are of prime importance to stop or minimize. Schools are supposed to be the safest haven for kids but not anymore in the USA. These budding kids have hidden talents, and we don’t know whether some could become the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, who could change the future of the world. As Indian Nobel Laureate Tagore said, “Children are living beings – more living than grown-up people who have built shells of habit around themselves. Therefore, it is necessary for their mental health and development that they should not have mere schools for their lessons, but a world whose guiding spirit is personal love.”
What can be done to control school shootings? Scary statistical data revealed about 4.6 million American children live in households with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm. So, firearm owners must take responsibility to keep proper storage of guns. For medicines we say keep away from children, and the same is true for guns. Second, background checks are a must. In addition, there could be a compulsory mental health or psychology course in every school.
Why not nationally pray once a year for the safety of our school kids as well as against school gun violence?
Jiben Roy, a native of Bangladesh, teaches chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Mississippi University for Women. He writes occasional column in the Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Jiben Roy, a native of Bangladesh, teaches chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Mississippi University for Women. His email address is [email protected].
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