VT

More than any other type of crime, school shootings really bother me in that sinking, cold way. Single murders shock me, rapes disgust me, and serial killers make me paranoid. But the thought of a mass killing at a school, whether it's filled with teenagers or college students, does all of the above. It gives me the chills. It makes my stomach lurch. Maybe because you're supposed to feel safe at school. Your mind is so occupied with tests and homework and activities that you forget about the real world. Maybe because not too long ago, I was sitting in one of those large lecture halls and I can only imagine the horror of someone opening fire on the stunned crowd, the chaos that must ensue. Maybe because even though it's happened before, you still don't think it could happen to you. And then it does. It's hard to believe. Thirty-two dead, most likely many of whom were students. Students who probably rolled out of bed this morning groaning about their early morning class, maybe scrambling to get their notes together and grabbing a coffee on their way to sit through another lecture, just like they have every other Monday this semester.