Buses & Bullies

Written by Haley HeatcloseAuthor: Haley Heat Name: Haley Heat
Email: femme.45@gmail.com
Site: http://femme45.com
About: See Authors Posts (4) on September 16, 2009

Late last week, a Mississippi football player was commended for his actions during a would-be hostage situation on a school bus.  Kaleb Eulls, a high school senior, showed an immense amount of bravery as he tackled a 14-year-old classmate who pulled out a gun and threatened the rest of the students.  The motives of the unnamed assailant aren’t clear, but it has been said that she was sick of being bullied on the bus.

Eulls has been commended, and rightfully so, however, what about this armed, unnamed gal?  We’re quick to praise the hero, but why not figure out why the villain became a villain in the first place?  As I heard this story, I was filled with flashbacks of my high school career.  Before I was the confident woman I am today, I was a ratty haired teen without enough makeup to hide my flaws.  Bullies pushed me around, stuck gum to my clothes and gave me nicknames that would make even Howard Stern blush.

Sure, there were times that I thought that revenge would be like a sweet dessert (without the acne side affect).  However, I never once thought of taking this heartache to a murderous extent, albeit my father’s gun collection was right at my fingertips.  To me, my pistol is my last line of defense and even then, I wouldn’t have dreamed of taking a step in that direction.

What drives these kids/young adults, such as the shooters of Columbine or Virginia Tech, to use their last line of defense?  Some say media/entertainment.  Some argue mental disorders and chemical imbalances.  We point blame every which way, and yet we haven’t come to any solid conclusions.

What is happening with these “villains” is a lack of intervention.  The irresponsible adult that owned the gun failed to properly teach the child just exactly how dangerous a gun can be and furthermore, said adult didn’t properly contain the weapon from the child.  To a 14 year old, everything is the end of the world… assuming a teenager will not act irrationally is just imbecilic.

Many teenagers and twenty-something’s are bullied and hazed in high school and college and, at some point, these victims will reach a breaking point.  Eventually, without intervention, it is possible that these students will go to their last line of defense.  In the case of the Mississippi Miss, her handgun wasn’t her last defense, but her only defense.

The unnamed girl is someone’s daughter, possibly someone’s sister, and more than likely someone’s “BFF”.  Surely, this girl wanted to protect herself from the unwanted teasing dealt from her peers, but where was her mentor to show her the way?  Who was looking out for her?

“More gun control and stricter gun laws,” the masses cry, but is that the answer?  I firmly say that it isn’t.  We need to jump out of our safety zones and teach children that a little kindness goes a long way.  We need to not be afraid of stepping on someone’s toes if they’re picking on the underdog.  And we need to learn to deal with the bad guys in such a way as not to become the villain ourselves.

And if the state deems you responsible enough to use a firearm, then you better damn well know how to keep it safe and teach your families safety, because you’re giving the rest of us a bad rep.

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Haley also writes for www.femme45.com