80 Minutes of Horror: Why did the Robb Elementary tragedy happen? (Editorial)
A heart-shaped balloon flies, decorating a memorial site outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Monday, May 30, 2022. In a town as small as Uvalde, even those who didn’t lose their own child lost someone. Some say now that closeness is both their blessing and their curse: they can lean on each other to grieve. But every single one of them is grieving. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
June 1, 2022
There is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said.
On May 24, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas with two AR-15s. He killed 19 children, ages 8-11, and two teachers in the span of one hour and eighteen minutes.
23 years after Columbine, 9 years after Sandy Hook, 4 years after Parkland, and 10 days after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, the people of America are forced to ask ourselves: Why does this keep happening?
Many people will talk of mental health, of bullying, and of course, gun control. The truth of the matter is that while mental health awareness and care are vital to taking care of a nation, our problem lies in the ease of access to guns.
42% of US homeowners own a gun, a number greater than that of most of our peer countries. The gunman of Uvalde bought his two rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammo the day of his 18th birthday, without so much as a blink of an eye.
There have been 151 days of the 2022 year. There have been 268 mass shootings in the U.S. during those 151 days.
The public outcry from the people of Uvalde, America, and all over the world is indescribable. Parents begged police to enter Robb Elementary, watching as the officers sat aside. Children inside the classrooms called 911 multiple times.
Amerie Jo Garza, a 10-year-old victim, had won an honor roll certificate earlier that day. She was shot trying to call 911 for her classmates.
Maite Rodriguez, another 10-year-old victim, wanted to be a marine biologist. She was killed while helping her classmates to hide.
Jose Flores, 10 y/o. Uziyah Garcia, 8 y/o. Amerie Jo Garza, 10 y/o. Xavier Lopez, 10 y/o. Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10 y/o. Rogelio Torres, 10 y/o. Nevaeh Bravo, 4th grade. Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10 y/o. Makenna Lee Elrod, 10 y/o. Ellie Garcia, 4th grade. Tess Mata, 4th grade. Alithia Ramirez, 10 y/o. Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10 y/o. Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11 y/o. Miranda Mathis, 11 y/o. Elijah Cruz Torres, 10 y/o. Four other children, their names not released to the press, all in fourth grade. Their teachers, Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, slain senselessly as they tried to protect their students.
When will enough be enough?
Columbine should have ended it. Sandy Hook should have ended it. The countless others after them, the Pulse club, Vegas, Parkland; this should not have become a norm.
Thoughts and prayers do nothing. Action means everything.
Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2021-2022 Periscope staff, CHS/CASD administration, or the CHS student body.
