TO THE EDITOR:
Mr. Jernigan:
I realize that your column is an opinion piece, but as a member of the press, you have a responsibility to check your facts before stirring up more emotions in the wake of the latest horrific tragedy.
There have NOT been 18 school shootings so far this year; that statement makes it sound as if there’s a sniper around every corner and no one in their right mind would let their kids go to school ever again.
That number came from a group known as Everytown for Gun Safety, which works to prevent gun violence and keeps a tally of shootings.
They describe a school shooting as “any time a firearm discharges a live round inside a school building or on a school campus or grounds.”
So included in those 18 incidents are accidental discharges on a school campus, a suicide in a school parking lot, a shooting at a sorority event, and in the parking lot after a basketball game.
These events, while disturbing in themselves, pale in comparison to the mass shootings and loss of life such as what happened in Florida this week.
The Washington Post has investigated these claims and you can read their findings on their website.
