School shooting tragedy raises so many questions

I write this as I am watching the horrific tragedy of the Connecticut school shooting. I realize that gun laws in the United States differ from those in Canada, but we have experienced similar tragedies here.

A few weeks ago, while watching my grandson at a track and field practice in a high school gymnasium, I was reading some of the notices on the walls of the gym.

With a very heavy heart I read the one titled “Lock Down Procedures,” which told students to remain in their classroom, turn off the lights, barricade the doors, and not to cry or scream in the case of life-threatening situations. I wondered, at the time, what kind of society we lived in where we had, in a free country, to teach children how to protect themselves from a person or persons whose intention would be to indiscriminately kill as many of them as possible.

What have we missed, as parents, teaching our children how to deal with their issues?

What have we missed in recognizing who needs professional help at an early development age?

What have we missed, as a society, ensuring this professional help is quickly and readily available to all in need?

The people committing these acts of violence don’t just wake up one day and decide today is the day — there is a much longer period of manifestations of problems, lack of self-esteem, violent acts for no justifiable reason, introverted personality, self-absorbed, etc.

Where are the people who see this innate behaviour or personality change, from minor to major issues?

How can we, together, stop these tragedies and make “lock down” notices unnecessary? Lorraine Hodgson

St-Laurent