Opinion: 19 Children Are Dead. Someone Should Do Something.

A hospital-based pediatrician explains steps we can take to prevent the next tragedy

Opinion: 19 Children Are Dead. Someone Should Do Something.

I watched as the headlines read two, then 14, and now 19 children and two teachers dead in Uvalde. As a hospital-based pediatrician I know these rising numbers mean the latest victims initially made it to the hospital alive and then later died from their injuries. I do not know what the physicians saw when those children arrived, but I can imagine the horror.

The names of these victims are added to a growing list of dead children. Since January, 647 children and adolescents have been killed by gun violence.

Someone should do something.

This morning as I quietly helped my own children dress for the day, I questioned whether I should send them to school. If I keep them home today, when will it be "safe" to send them back?

Until we elect leaders who prioritize children over guns, the answer is "never."

There are things in medicine that we cannot prevent. Illnesses and accidents that happen without warning. Firearm violence is not one of these things.

Firearm violence is preventable. We know that strict firearm legislation saves lives, and yet we continue to pass legislation that puts children's lives at risk.

Someone should do something.

In the Texas primary election, 82% of registered voters did not vote.

I suspect many of these individuals agree with the 86% of Americans who believe gun violence is a moderate to very big problem in our country. I would wager that most of them care about children. But the thing is, it does not actually matter where they stand if the legislators representing them do not have children's best interests at heart.

We have found ourselves in this place where mass shootings in grocery stores and schools happen, by living under the assumption that "someone" – namely legislators – "should do something." There are certainly real, systemic problems that have led us to believe that our votes and voices do not matter. Still though, we must appreciate the role that each of us has played in creating this problem.

As I cut bananas for my son's breakfast, I thought about the rest of the kids at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday. The "many" who were injured both physically and emotionally.

I know that the suffering from the massacre is not over. I care for children that survive school shootings. The "lucky ones." For the "lucky ones," it is only the beginning of a long and painful journey.

As I helped my daughter tie the laces of her pink shoes, I thought about the "lucky ones" who will spend months in the hospital. The kids that, just days ago, were playing tag but now will have to fight to learn to walk again.

Someone should do something.

The days following tragedy are filled with dramatic statements and calls to action. As days pass, though, voices become quieter. For our own mental health we have to create distance between ourselves and the horror. Most of us cannot maintain the level of advocacy that we adopt in the wake of horrific events and still function.

But we do not have to. We can take smaller, intentional steps every day. Just like the "lucky ones" keep doing each day in rehab as they learn to walk again.

We can support organizations built to eliminate firearm violence with our donations and time. We can support elected officials who have proven that they care about children. We can make sure everyone we know understands how important their vote is in every single election.

We do not need to make grand gestures every day, but we cannot let our efforts dwindle in a few weeks and wait until the next tragedy to pick this work back up.

I drove cautiously to my children's school looking for any excuse to turn around. But I eventually made it to the parking lot and kissed my kids goodbye. As they ran to their classrooms, I promised to be "someone" today, tomorrow, and the day after that.

Because someone should do something. Thankfully we are all "someone."


Lauren Gambill is a pediatrician and mother of two young children in Austin.

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KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

Uvalde, mass shootings, gun control, November 2022 General Election

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