Something Has to Change: A Response to the Nashville Covenant Tragedy

Evelyn. William. Hallie. Mike. Katherine. Cynthia.

My heart hurts today for the families and the community of Nashville Covenant School.

Dropping my girls off at Eastside High School the other morning, watching them turn and walk away, well, it was just a little harder today.

Monday March 27, a 28-year-old former student forcefully entered the private school with two assault-style weapons and a 9mm handgun and murdered six innocent people, three 9-year-old students and three staff members. I can’t begin to fathom the pain and suffering this community is feeling. My heart sank while reading the response from Pastor Chad Scruggs whose daughter, Hallie, was a victim of the senseless act of evil. Amid tragedy, his faith shines through in his statement: “Through tears we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus who will raise her to life once again.”

I’m filled with a range of different emotions: hurt, disappointment, hope, frustration, confusion, and anger. I hurt deeply when I think, “That could’ve been my wife and children.” I am disappointed that more has not been done to keep these terrible weapons of death out of the wrong hands. I find hope in the stories of the brave and selfless heroes; Katherine the headmaster who sacrificed her life to save others, and the Nashville Police who ran immediately toward the gunfire to stop the threat. I am frustrated that evil continues to run rampant, especially in our schools. I am confused at the steep increase in mental health issues and our collective inability to create the appropriate helps needed. At some point, I just want to turn off the news and pretend I didn’t see anything. Maybe that way, I won’t feel anything either. Because who wants to feel a burden they seemingly can’t carry or change?

So, we ask the terribly entangled questions again: Why do these mass shootings continue to happen, and what can we do to stop them? These questions cannot be answered by simple bumper-sticker cliches and pithy Facebook memes. Yes, I’ve seen the one about the rock that Abel used for evil and the rock that David used for good…and that the problem is not the rock. I get the sentiment and can agree to some degree, however, it is certainly more nuanced than that. And I’ve heard the cries that if we don’t completely ban guns then we don’t care for the lives of children. Obviously, that’s an overstatement seeing that our country thrived for nearly two-hundred years with caring and compassionate people who used guns appropriately. Nevertheless, these questions of “why” and “what can we do” must be discussed, and without the polar extremes receiving all the attention.

I won’t be able to answer the problem of evil in a paragraph, but I’ll at least give you a place where I see it has subtly infiltrated our minds and tricked us into thinking we are in control of the way in which it (evil) twists our normal thoughts. Screens! TV screens. Movie screens. Phone screens. Computer screens. There seems to be a growing disconnect between the physical world and the digital world (and that chasm will probably continue to widen as Big Tech and Artificial Intelligence increase their ability to manipulate us). The entertainment offerings we consume such as violent movies, gory Netflix shows, graphic video games—particularly, first-person shooter games, and music that glorifies violence, all effect the way we see real life. For many, as the numbness to digital death grows, the lines become blurry between screen and reality. One can’t help but wonder if we are losing a healthy respect for the sanctity of human life.

Another huge factor in the “why” of mass shootings is the dramatically increasing mental health crisis. According to Health.com, “Mental illness has risen in the United States, with about 20% of people in the country experiencing some form of it.” That’s over 60 million people in the U.S. alone! They point to the perils of social media with its relentless self-comparison game and narcissistic-encouraging behavior, along with current “societal trends that have resulted in smaller family units and less community involvement.” These factors cause isolation and loneliness. Combine all these new issues with existing issues like depression, substance abuse, mental and physical abuse, a polarized political and racial climate, and the host of other social and personal issues…and we have the environment in which mental illness spreads like a deadly virus. With the sharp rate in which mental illness has increased, we have not been able to produce enough qualified mental health specialists to help quell the storm. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports, “over 25 million rural Americans live in areas where there is a shortage of mental health professionals.” Growing mental health issues and lack of services is indeed a crisis.

And I don’t have the answer. It is a huge problem. But maybe we can tackle it in our local communities instead of waiting on big government to hand us a solution. Certainly, much of the above should be discussed by community leaders. Someone must lead this charge and make a change. Maybe we can find a way to encourage less screen time for our students and more social interaction and community service opportunities? Or maybe we can discuss ways to help fund mental health facilities again, create incentive programs to encourage more young people to enter the mental health profession, and help those who we know currently need services? There must be something we can do.

Now, about the hot topic of gun reform. Personally, I don’t have any need for an assault-style weapon. I’m ignorant about the subject, so I won’t pretend to be an expert. I don’t even know if I call the weapon by the correct name. But what I’m referring to are the military-style guns that are designed to kill as many as possible as quickly as possible. Just because I don’t need one doesn’t mean that there aren’t viable applications for them. Whatever that application, you would think it would be the exception, not the norm. In other words, you would think very few people need these weapons. And the ones that do need them should be incredibly well vetted and trained.

So, whether there should be a ban on assault-style weapons, I do not know. I believe there would need to be some very clear definitions about what constitutes an assault-style weapon along with clarity about the type of ammunition capacity. I would hope this conversation could be had by level-headed experts and not lobbyists or ill-informed politicians.

Ban or no ban, the relative ease in which someone can legally purchase an assault weapon, should probably be reconsidered. I read a hyperbolic Facebook post this week that said it was easier to purchase an assault rifle than Sudafed. Certainly, we should maintain our Constitutional right to bear arms and protect ourselves from the potential threat of (our) tyrannical government, which honestly seems more and more like a potential reality. Nevertheless, I believe there should be an intensive screening process, including some sort of mental health assessment before anyone could purchase any military-style assault weapon (or any weapon for that matter.) Maybe I’m missing something obvious here, or maybe this is the “common-sense” gun reform people talk about. Again, I do not know the solution. But what I do know is…something must change.

I realize we will never legislate morality. I realize we cannot eradicate all the evil of the world. I realize the topic of mass shootings and gun reform are sticky and knotted issues where emotions run high. Personally, I want to be able to protect myself, my family, and my property, with the right to bear arms. I appreciate my freedoms. I appreciate the freedoms afforded to others. But when someone’s freedom endangers mine and the safety of others, I take exception. I do not mean to sound trite. However, like you, I just want to see an end to these senseless acts of mass violence, often enacted by those suffering from mental illness. We are all weary of the grief we feel for the parents and classmates of Nashville Covenant and all the other tragedies before. We are angry and hurt. We are confused yet hopeful. We will continue to pray for peace for the families of Evelyn, William, Hallie, Mike, Katherine, and Cynthia. We will continue to seek solutions. But we must do it together.

Let’s heed the wisdom and challenge of Covington-native and current Nashville-ite, Laney Harris Crowder, “We can talk about Gun Reform (which we should!) We can talk about Mental Illness (which we should!) We can offer Thoughts and Prayers (which we should!) Let’s talk about all of the things because surely, we can all agree something has to change.”

            Yes! We all agree, Laney. Local leaders let’s talk about all of the things, because surely, we can all agree… something has to change!

[This article was originally published in The Covington News, April 5, 2023.]