Michigan State Shooting: Recovering from a Devastating Event

On Monday, February 13th, 2023 news broke that a tragic event had happened. On the campus of the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing Michigan, there was a gunman walking around campus. Currently, on February 20th, 2023, it was confirmed that four students were left dead and five more were injured during the tragic event. 

School shootings in America have continued to be a problem and Gabriel Okelloh believes that this is a major problem only America seems to have “When you check the news it’s sad to see these types of events happening decently frequently. I only see it happening in America, maybe it’s only because these are documented and others might not be but still.” The talk surrounding the current gun laws will continue to be a very controversial topic, especially if terrible events like these continue to happen in America. Some believe that the current laws are good enough and the problem isn’t the guns themselves but the people who own and use the guns.

The Michigan State shooter was identified as Anthony Dwayne McRae who is a 43-year-old man. In a CNN interview with the father of McRae, the father describes his son as “evil and angry.” It was also revealed by police that McRae had a history of mental health issues. This continues to be a reoccurring theme in shootings. 

Mental health is always important, especially in cases like these because it makes you wonder if the shooter had sought out help four innocent lives could have been saved. Madison Hasty advocates for mental health “Mental health is so important because it’s what keeps us going, if someone is to have poor mental health they are more likely to slow down, and there’s the possibility of self-harm or harming others.”

Sadly this is becoming a regular occurrence and with the current laws surrounding guns, it seems as if these types of tragic events might continue to happen around America. Students in America have expressed the need to be able to go to school without the possibility of a shooter coming into the school and causing casualties. Marc Benz feels safe in the Waukee community “I don’t worry as much in Iowa especially in Waukee because I feel like we have a safe community here compared to places like Flordia and California where lots of crime happens.”

All in all, we as a community will have to continue to pray that these tragic events will come to a total stop as we support each other to get through the rough times that these events put families through.