On Thursdays I volunteer at my local library. This past Thursday,
when I arrived at the library, there was zero parking. Sometimes there is a
program going on that makes it hard to find parking but on this particular occasion
it was impossible! I finally slipped into a little spot in a close-by residential
cul-de-sac and started walking toward the lib. Just as I was about to cross the
street, a police car came whizzing by. I found that to be odd, crossed the
street, and went inside. And then, right as I walked in to the library, they
locked the door behind me.
A librarian I knew rushed up and filled me in on the
details. At the high school next door, there was a rumor that some former
student had shown up with a gun. They had locked down the high school and the
library just to be safe. And, for the next hour or so, everyone was pretty
nervous before the police caught the kids. After everything was said and done
it ended up that the kid just had a bb gun.
What is really weird is that recently I actually had a
thought that it was only a matter of time until I or somebody I knew got caught
in crappy situation with guns. I literally thought to myself the only way to
avoid it is to become a recluse and not go anywhere- but even that isn’t a sure
bet. When I was initially told what was happening, I was not surprised. Every
single day I read about some new horrible scenario where someone takes a gun
into a public place and does something stupid. So, although I wasn’t surprised,
I was mad. I’m mad that I live in a world where I have to accept the fact that my
loved ones and I are exposed to gun violence just by living our lives. Not
cool, America. Not cool.
