MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Humboldt, Tennessee is one of those rural communities that cherishes its small-town atmosphere. But today, Humboldt’s 8,500 residents are reeling after being the latest to experience deadly gun violence at a school.
It occurred Tuesday night inside the Humboldt High School gymnasium during basketball games between Humboldt and North Side High in nearby Jackson. One person was killed and two others injured during an altercation near a concession stand in the gym’s lobby.
The suspected shooter is now is custody, and school officials were quick to point out that the people involved in the incident were adults – not students. But that’s of little comfort when you consider that innocent bystanders – including young children – could easily have been seriously hurt or killed by this senseless violence.
It’s just one more example of how our gun culture has run amok. The fact that someone would not hesitate to bring a loaded weapon to a high school basketball game is mind boggling – whether it’s in the big city or a small town such as Humboldt.
And excuse me if I sound like a broken record, but our state lawmakers have done a disservice to all of us by allowing people to carry guns in public – virtually with no questions asked. No one is safer with relaxed gun laws, and until legislators come to their senses, the death toll from gun violence will continue to climb.