How school shootings touch the lives of locals

(NOTE: When I heard that one of the recent school/gun incidents occurred in Joplin, Mo., I contacted someone I know there to produce a blog update about the event)

Before Monday, I never imagined a school shooting would have happened in the small town of Joplin.

Here most of the local new has to do with high school football or our current lack of rain, but as a coworker pointed out, "If it can happen in a one room Amish school house, it can happen here." It did happen, and thankfully all we can report is a scare because this young man's replica AK47 jammed on his first shot.

Local news reported on the investigation of the child's home life while showing numerous weapons being removed from the house by officials. I know some people will point out a child brought up around weapons is more prone to use those weapons, but I feel they would be missing a key variable in that equation: the parents.

Parents' influence on their children can have a drastic impact on a child's future, and in this case I feel the parents should be held legally responsible. It was the parents that left the key to the gun safe in the young mans reach, it was the parents that failed to notice their child leaving for school with a large firearm and -- fortunately in this case -- it was the parents who did not teach their child how to remove a jammed round.

I proudly support our right to bear arms and feel any individual responsible for the safety of others should have a way to defend in dire circumstances; however, it is also the responsibility of that individual to create a safe environment by ensuring those arms are totally beyond the reach of minors.