Hearing of the tragedy at Virginia Tech brought me back to my time in college. I was attending Baylor University when the largest random shooting took place (the largest until now). A man shot and killed 24 people at a Luby’s in Killeen, TX, a small town not far from Baylor. I was also at Baylor during the standoff with the Branch Davidians. This was also near Baylor.
Why do people feel they need to take out others in their pain? What would motivate a young man with so much to live for to end the lives of so many innocent people and then end his own? How can we keep this from happening again?
Was this all over a broken heart?
On the radio this morning, Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio brought up a great point. Living in a free society means we will have random and horrible acts in rare occasions. “We cannot stop a young man with a broken heart from doing this.” He went on to argue that the Virginia Tech security and administration could not have done any better in protecting these students and faculty members unless we move into a society without guns, bullets, drugs, alcohol, or freedoms.
Chris Rock has joked that guns don’t kill people, bullets kill people. He insists we should allow people to buy all the guns they want but charge them $5000 per bullet.
For me, I reminded that all around us are people who are hurting. They are lonely. They feel ostracized or unloved. Guns and bullets don’t kill people unless someone loads the gun and pulls the trigger. People kill people.
Just after the tragedy at Columbine High School, I remember hearing that one of the gunman had attended a church’s youth group just before the shooting. Perhaps they were loving and reached out to him, but even so it was too little too late.
May we be ever vigilant to serve and to love those with a broken heart before they take out their pain on others.
