A Bullet Dodged

So, it was with foreboding that I read the news flash about an active shooter on the campus of Arkansas State University.  Luckily, in this case the first responders talked the person down from using either his shotgun or setting off the two propane tanks he'd brought with him.  Here's the initial report from yesterday:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/arkansas-state-active-shooter-report

Have to admit that this one hit home, because I used to live in Jonesboro, just off-campus. And though I haven't been back in decades, I still remember it well, and it's chilling to combine those memories with these current events. I had a bit of that feeling at the time of the murders in Colorado Springs a few weeks ago, having just been there a few months ago attending this year's MythCon. But it's different for tragedy to strike a place you've visited once and for the threat to fall on a place where you've lived.

The year we spent in Jonesburo was one of the most miserable in my life, but I do have some good memories from then, and I'm grateful that in this one case tragedy was averted. Time we got serious about getting rid of guns and put an end to this tragedy-of-the-week cycle we're currently trapped in.

--John R.

P.S.: Here's a brief follow-up story.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/10/gunman-surrounded-at-arkansas-state-university-campus-on-lockdown/