Yet another tragic school shooting has claimed innocent lives, this time at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Four people—two teachers and two students—were killed, and nine others were injured when a 14-year-old student opened fire on campus. The attack, carried out with an AR-style firearm has again shocked and saddened the nation and as is typical reignited the debate over gun control, with the usual forces calling for stricter gun laws following the heartbreaking event. As a father with school-aged children, I am horrified, and I see the concerns darken their eyes as they worry, “what if that happened to me?” Explaining such senselessness is difficult. All I can do is try to instill in them a strong sense of character, doing what’s right and a sense of compassion. We all need to show a little more compassion.
But as Americans mourn, it is important to acknowledge the complexity of these situations. We, gun owners and non-gun owners alike, are united in grief over the loss of life, particularly those of children. It’s a moment of deep sorrow for everyone, no more so than the parents, siblings, other family members and fellow students of those who were killed or injured. But it is also difficult for those of us who value the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership, because we know the smoke has barely cleared the air and the tears dried before we are in the political crosshairs. Tragedies such as the shooting at Apalachee High School highlight a troubling reality: while the right to bear arms is fundamental even as it comes under attack, it’s clear we are facing a larger societal issue that simple gun restrictions cannot fix. The issue is much deeper than that.
The Deeper Problem
At the heart of the Apalachee High School tragedy is not just a gun, but an extremely troubled 14-year-old child. The fact that a kid, who reports now reveal from family members had a history of mental and social issues, could access a firearm and commit such heinous violence reveals cracks in our societal, familial and even educational systems. Murder is already illegal. Gun possession by a minor is already illegal. Yet these laws did nothing to stop the bloodshed. Guns have always been a part of our society, maybe even more so when we were a more rural country where firearms were used to protect livestock, provide food for the table and defend the household where law enforcement was too far away to offer any meaningful help.
The suspected shooter’s father, Colin Gray, has been arrested on multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, highlighting the need for accountability and punishing someone, really anyone, for the unbearable pain that has been caused. But the real question is: how do we stop this from happening again?
The easy answer, offered by politicians like President Biden and others, is to pass more gun laws—assault weapon bans, universal background checks and other restrictions. But this response does not address the core of the issue. There are already laws that failed to prevent this tragedy. We need real solutions. Americans deserve real solutions, not political bickering that divides us even more than we already are.
Mental Health and Social Breakdown
A growing body of evidence suggests that the rise in mass shootings is closely linked to societal decay. Isolation, mental health struggles, repeated exposure at younger and younger ages to violent images and behavior in media and through video games and the disintegration of the family structure are all significant factors. Yet, these root causes are often ignored in favor of a narrow focus on gun legislation.
Companies spend more than $250 billion each year to advertise their products. They show off their product, they extoll the benefits of their product and they repeat the messaging over and over. And it works, clearly obvious by the simple fact that if it didn’t, the advertising industry would’ve died long ago. So, why do we think when people, particularly children in the formative years of their lives, sit and watch life-like violence and murders take place on programming regardless of where it is viewed (movies, television, social media) or help drive the violence in video games that have also become more life-like, that it won’t have the same effect as advertising? It has to. But the people quick to clamor for more gun laws aren’t also clamoring for limits on this media exposure to children, which would ostensibly have a bigger impact on the issue. In fact, these same people often deride efforts to limit that exposure, revealing an agenda that is not focused on real solutions, but on controlling a part of America.
Most gun owners, certainly the ones I grew up with and know (and there are a lot of them), are among the most responsible citizens in America. They lock up their firearms, practice firearms safety and teach it to their children and advocate for secure storage and responsibility. But that’s an important distinction to make, responsible ownership, not government overreach, is a better path toward a solution. Rather than demonizing firearms or pushing for more regulations that primarily impact law-abiding citizens and do little to actually stem criminal behavior and violence, we must turn our attention to supporting families, addressing mental health and providing stronger social networks for our children. We also must acknowledge kids need guidance and shouldn’t be allowed to indulge every weird fantasy or lifestyle they wish to embrace at the moment. More of our society and today’s parents let their children run wild on whatever social experiment they fancy and what’s worse, we’re all told we need to celebrate them in the process. That’s nonsense. Kids need guidance, they need discipline, they need accountability for their actions and it needs to be delivered consistently and firmly, but also with compassion and love.
At the same time, we need to hold violent criminals accountable for their actions with the laws already in place. Lock them away from those who live peacefully and responsibly, and don’t give them a pass just because they may have grown up with some social disadvantage or suffer from a mental disorder. This is not to say we ignore their needs or the plight of the sick, but we strengthen our mental health resources and institutions to meet their needs while also limiting the risk they pose to the rest of us. In the case of this most recent school shooting, the shooter had given numerous signs that he was struggling mentally and had a propensity for violence, with law enforcement even being called out to his home the year before. In most cases, these threats are known, and our systems fail the innocent in some misguided interpretation of compassion.
A Call for Real Solutions
Georgia is by and large a very strong, pro-gun state with liberal laws on gun ownership and less restrictions than states such as California, Illinois and New Jersey, but loosening restrictions has never been about encouraging violence—it’s about empowering responsible citizens to protect themselves. Governor Brian Kemp emphasized when signing the state’s permitless carry law in 2022 that criminals don’t follow laws; they acquire firearms illegally and with no regard for rules.
This shooting happened despite strict federal laws prohibiting a minor from possessing a firearm. What we need is not another layer of laws that will burden lawful gun owners. Instead, we need to invest in early intervention for at-risk youth, improve school security and foster community and school relationships that can catch warning signs before a tragedy unfolds and provide support networks that will hopefully prevent the desire to commit such violence in the first place.
United in Grief, Strong in Resolve
No one is immune to the pain and sorrow caused by these events. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, the students and teachers who were impacted, and the entire Winder community. This is not just about guns; it’s about the safety and well-being of our children and communities. Gun owners, like all Americans, want solutions that will actually work—not knee-jerk reactions that strip rights without addressing the true problem.
Let’s honor the lives lost by committing ourselves to real change: a society where children are safe, families are strong and responsible gun ownership is respected, not vilified.
The deaths here represent a typical Sunday morning in Chicongo, yet there is no outrage. And people call me a racist for mentioning it.
Clown World.
The deaths here represent a typical Sunday morning in Chicongo, yet there is no outrage, and people call me a racist for mentioning it.
Clown World.
Delayed post display? And to be fair re Chicago that is a much larger population sample to get the numbers it does…….not that it makes them less horrific….. daily.
You are not a racist. The racist are the white left who go out of their way. To ignore crime in chiraq. And then exclusively focus on white only murderers.
The white left is as racist as the klu klux klan.
The white leftest democrat party was/is the KKK. The difference between the KKK of the 1800 and 1900s and today is it’s ability to convince the black population they deserve what they are getting and can never get any better. Without the democrat party to give it to them. From their Massa’s plantations of the 1800s to their Government Massa’s Plantations of today.
Secure ingress/egress during school hours (sorry teach hike around the building to smoke) upgrade exterior (at least) doors to make entry difficult without breaching tools, armed on site security, allow teachers to volunteer to carry. Have relevant staff practice response and reevaluate weak points at least annually. Countless other improvements as well but even with low standards most killers fuck off somewhere else.
Stop letting the state raise your kids. Don’t send them to government indoctrination day-camps. These psychos are the result of public schools..Keep them at home or.at least find a decent private school that is raising your kids the way YOU want them raised. A lot of private schools are just as woke and leftist as the government schools.
Shortcut for NY private school evaluation, do they take state money? If yes they will just be expensive slightly better public schools.
95% of the folks who post on this list believe there should be no age restrictions whatsoever on the purchase of firearms because age restrictions are not in the constitution.
That means that Colt Gray should’ve been able to buy a modern sporting rifle at age 13…
Maturation of the adolescent brain
Mariam Arain, Maliha Haque, Lina Johal, Puja Mathur, Wynand Nel, Afsha Rais, Ranbir Sandhu, and Sushil Sharma
“The adolescent population is highly vulnerable to driving under the influence of alcohol and social maladjustments due to an immature limbic system and prefrontal cortex. Synaptic plasticity and the release of neurotransmitters may also be influenced by environmental neurotoxins and drugs of abuse including cigarettes, caffeine, and alcohol during adolescence. Adolescents may become involved with offensive crimes, irresponsible behavior, unprotected sex, juvenile courts, or even prison. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the major cause of death among the teenage population is due to injury and violence related to sex and substance abuse. Prenatal neglect, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption may also significantly impact maturation of the adolescent brain.”
TTAG writer Elaine D and liberal gun owner, has said that teachers should not be armed. She is afraid the students will discover who has a gun.
This liberal gun owner doesn’t understand how to carry a gun concealed. I carried my beretta 21A and a spare magazine. While teaching grade shool. And as a student in college.
It’s very easy to conceal a gun. If necessary You have to change the way you dress. And you will also have to carry a gun that is smaller. No 1911s.
And get training.. Practice. At least once a month at the range. Dry fire every day.
“TTAG writer Elaine D and liberal gun owner, has said that teachers should not be armed. She is afraid the students will discover who has a gun.”
Retention holster.
The gun cannot leave the holster until a programmed movement sequence ‘unlocks’ and releases the gun…
Small correction: Possession of a firearm by a minor is not illegal. At least in most states.
Until they commit a crime or be in a prohibited area like a school. Just like for adults. Minors can also own a car and drive it. Just like an adult. Cars kill people. So whats your point?
“Possession of a firearm by a minor is not illegal. At least in most states.”
Laws vary by location, in some areas minors cannot possess a gun unless under the direct supervision of an adult…
One possible motive for the 14 year old shooter was grievance over the LACK OF ACCEPTANCE of T*R(A@N&N^I*E*S.
x(dot)com/MrAndyNgo/status/1832106747928179188
The T)R!A*N#S death cult strike again. Stay away from these f*ing L#U&N!A(T#I)C@S — they will literally K&I@L&L you.
Condemn a demographic based on “one possible motive”??? Seems you’re adopting the gun control movement’s philosophy of basing policy on feelings rather than evidence.
Do you know which ones aren’t M#URD#ER#OUS LU#NA#TI#CS??
No?
Then I’ll go by my own judgement, thanks.
Same approach the gun control movement applies to “assault weapon” owners….
Andy Ngo is probably correct. Now granted, its probably not all of them. But its a pretty good chance you can encounter one at some time or another, I have. Ya never know how many sandwiches are missing from their imaginary picnic.
“A growing body of evidence suggests that the rise in mass shootings is closely linked to societal decay.”
Historically societal decay results in violent episodes of some type. First it starts with separate individuals violent actions inflicting many/mass-harm-incidents, this can sometimes go on for a number of years with different incidents over time then it grows into groups conducting such violent actions in a sort of ‘movement’ for some ’cause and eventually you have economic collapse (either full or partial) then society collapse (full or partial). It runs in cycles in societies every ~240 – ~250 years and we are due, our last one was right before the revolutionary war with British loyalist in the colonies.
All the signs are there and increasing and why “A growing body of evidence suggests that the rise in mass shootings is closely linked to societal decay.”
Charles Polhamus said of Colt Gray, his grandson, in an interview with CNN. “His dad beat up on him, I mean, I’m not talking about physical, but screaming and hollering, and he did the same thing to my daughter.”
The grandfather said he had never seen Colt Gray show any kind of anger problems, but that the turbulent family life had affected the teenager.
Colt Gray’s parents’ relationship started out with promise. In July 2011, shortly after he was born, his parents bought a small farm in Barrow County, Georgia, outside of the college town of Athens. They planned to “create a non-profit, therapeutic riding school for local, under-privileged children,” his mother, Marcee Gray, who worked in industrial engineering, later wrote in a LinkedIn post.
But those plans were derailed in part because her husband, Colin Gray, had at least three “major” back surgeries, she wrote. The couple, who had three children, later sold the farm in 2019, according to property records.
Marcee Gray wrote in one LinkedIn comment on a post from December 2022, “Finally separated from my abusive husband of almost 14yrs,”
Several months later in May, enforcement agents were investigating 13-year-old Colt Gray in connection with a school shooting threat.
…. and after fifteen months of playing kick the can, they’re opening a new case file.
It’s all the gun’s fault.
“…repeated exposure at younger and younger ages to violent images and behavior in media and through video games…”
Need I go all “boomer” and explain that as children we saw about 50 shootings and murders every day (on TV)? That we were surrounded with toy guns and ads for toy guns, catalogs with pages of toy guns, and gifts of toy guns, and “playing Army” with toy guns, and learning to shoot .22 rifles under NRA instructors, while at the same time there were no school shootings?
Maybe it is the other societal stimuli that needs focus (though, inhibiting behavior of children or adults is seen as unfair, and unacceptable, justifying a criminal outburst against society).
Not anticipating any serious course change in the utter collapse of this nation…or any other. The end was written at the beginning.
You win this thread! Yeah I grew up with all those violent images,playing war,toy guns & my dad took us shooting. Stable household, 2 parents who took us to church. Leave it to Beaver neighborhood(my mom worked with my dad in their insurance agency). It was a nice childhood. Sigh😧
“Stable household, 2 parents who took us to church. Leave it to Beaver neighborhood(my mom worked with my dad in their insurance agency).”
As the old song goes, “Those were thuh daaaaaayzzzz.”
Inconvenient truth: the nightly barrage of violent imagery started in the 50s. The modern era of school shootings started in 1966.
and the moral decay of society took off and gained steam in the 1960’s decade …. and also in the same 1960’s decade… serial killers and wannabe serial killers and ‘mass’ killers began to emerge as a more notable threat, black-on-black predatory crime in black communities increased by 70% overall across a broad spectrum (e.g. drugs, human trafficking, robbery, assaults, rape, etc…), drug use deaths increased, a loosely formed group (that was to later become known as the organization NAMBLA in 1978) emerged, the number of pedophiles incidents increased, sexual violence against women increased, mysterious infant crib deaths increased (which later became known as SIDS collectively, even when such death was really unexplained), marx — ist soci —list began infesting universities more overtly under the guise of ‘freedom of speech’, and the government discovered they could manipulate public perception by suborning the media and began developing technology and methods to use for mass surveillance on citizens, the democrat parties racist origins peeked though again as KKK and adherents were rampant as the democrat party tried desperately thorough (unknowingly used) JFK to hide their past and change their perception image to the ‘party of the working man’ (while,oddly, still at the same time flooding the black community with drugs) …. and the then future Vice Tyrant and white-supremist-ideology-based-race, some way or another according to present day Kamala statements and weird poorly faked accents and dialects that suddenly appear and her-later-to-be-found-lies she tells, Indian/Jamacian/Asian/Black/southern/mid-western/northern/hispanic/latino/low-testorone-male/pro-abortion-yet-not-pro-abortion/illegal-immigrant/per-father-descended-from-slave-owner Hamilton-Brown the baby Kamala Devi Harris was born (1964) to a black Jamaican father and Indian ‘Caucasian’ mother (which in this case in the left wing spin basically means undermined race but Indian but not white but is kinda white but not white but not another race but is black but not black but is black using as their basis a 1923 SCOTUS decision determination that Caucasian is not the same as white – in white-supremist idealogy a black father and white woman ,but also a woman not white but also not black or of undetermined race, a child from that union is considered black in white-supremist idealogy)
— see, the 60’s were really screwed up.
Pretty much all of modern culture, especially that targeted at youth, extolls anger, entitlement and victimhood as things to aspire to, things that make the aspirant “cool.” That’s basically societal rot, and unfortunately there is really no way to stop it without damaging legitimate free speech.
The most practical thing that can be done is stop creating convenient barrels full of fish for these sick seekers of attention to shoot into.
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