Jose

Sunday I received a call of a 911 hang up with a woman screaming in the background. When I arrived, I quickly realized that none of the five or so people in the trailer spoke English. It's strange how, even when you don't know what someone is saying, you can feel terror in their voice. I could hear a woman screaming in the back of the trailer. It was a gut wrenching wail of a scream, one of those that will stay with you for a while. I began pushing my way through the crowd until I get to the back bedroom. I saw a small boy, I would later learn he was three years old, lying on the bed as his father was making a poor attempt at CPR. I don't blame him. If you've never done it, CPR can be terrifying.

As the adrenaline slowed the world, I ran towards the bed. For some reason, I remember quite vividly a black and red jacket on the lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. I gathered the boy in my arms and quickly lay him down on the floor so that I could have a solid surface for CPR. I checked his pulse. There was none, so I yelled at my partner to call for medics on an unresponsive child. I began CPR, an endeavor that likely lasted only four minutes yet managed to feel like an eternity while we waited for medics. Pumping over and over and over again, I felt the sweat dampen my brow. The sweat formed into droplets and began to fall.  I watched them dripping on his chest.  I looked up at the young officer with me, and I could see on his face he knew just as well as me how it would end. There was nothing else to do, so I just kept pumping.

I could see the telltale marbling that indicated strangulation appearing on the boys face. The color left his skin; his eyes were open, staring off in the distance at something I couldn't see.  I began to tire to the point that I was becoming ineffective, so I passed off CPR to my partner.   He was a young but capable officer who I learned that day is good under pressure.  He stepped right in and performed admirably.  I was proud of him.

After what seemed like an eternity, the firefighters arrived. The paramedic took one look at the child, gathered him in his arms, and said succinctly  "I need a ride." Out the door we ran, the firefighter diving in the back of the nearest patrol car.  The car rocketed off into the night, racing toward a nearby hospital.  I could hear the sirens fading in the distance as I rushed back to the home to secure the scene.  Such is the life of a police officer.  We have no time to process tragedy, no time to absorb the weight of it all.  Without a word about it, there remains work to be done.  It can be a heavy burden, one not many can bear.

Hours later, I would learn that they were able to restart his heart at the hospital.  I've since heard that it was too late, the lack of oxygen to the brain had taken its toll.  They planned to take him off life support, but I won't have the strength to ask.  I'd rather believe in miracles.  I'd rather believe he was somewhere playing baseball with his older brother.

The detective over the investigation later told me he died two days later, just two weeks before Christmas.  I didn't know him, but he was a beautiful, innocent child.  His death was ruled accidental, which somehow makes it worse.  I suppose its because there is no one to blame, no one to pursue, and no one to punish.  Jose was the second child in as many months I had unsuccessfully tried to save with CPR.  Maybe I can save the next one.

My Thoughts on Gun Control

In light of the recent tragedies in Aurora, Portland, and Newtown, there will be many heated debates on the issues of gun control and questions raised on how to protect our children. One suggested solution is surely to be a unilateral ban on citizens owning or possessing handguns and assault rifles in the United States. I think this is an understandable solution today, but I am convinced it is the wrong one. 

Constitutional arguments aside, making guns illegal does not make them go away. There are millions upon millions of them in this country. We do not have the resources to eliminate them all. In the event of a ban, many good law abiding citizens would immediately surrender their guns, and many other good law abiding citizens would immediately become criminals. The armed, violent criminal element, though, would conduct business as usual. As a comparison for enforcement success, consider the amount of illegal drugs you hear about being seized across this country, the article after article that so-and-so was arrested for possessing and/or dealing drugs. It is estimated that law enforcement seizes about one percent of the drugs that enter this country every year. One percent! Is there any chance that the odds would be better for guns? An estimated 8o million adults own guns in the United States and there are only about 800,000 law enforcement officers. If every law enforcement officer in this country was tasked exclusively with gun control, each officer would be responsible for a thousand gun owners. Sure, many criminals would be caught and arrested, but the average time served on a ten year conviction now is what? Maybe eighteen months. We do not have enough prisons to house them, or enough money to build and staff more. The numbers don't add up. We must come up with other solutions.

Suppose we decided to place armed police in every school in America. According to the federal government, there are almost one hundred and forty thousand schools in America. To place just one law enforcement officer in each school would cover almost eighteen percent of all law enforcement officers. Does anyone think that this nation in its current state could afford this expense? My solution would be to arm and train teachers and school administrators. Not all of them. Some people are not capable of killing another human being, even in defense of themselves or others. Giving individuals like that a gun would only provide an additional source of weapons to those that would commit such heinous acts. I am not disparaging them, it's just a fact of human nature. Also, there are people who do not have the temperament to exercise the necessary restraint to carry a firearm. Why not, though, identify those teachers that are capable, train them, and arm them to defend our children? 

In response to attacks outside the schools, what better than encourage and teach responsible gun ownership to the general public. I have a scenario for you. A guy walks into a crowded mall intent on killing as many innocent people as possible. The guy pulls out his gun and fires at a young woman, injuring her. As the gunman walks toward her to finish the job, a responsible gun owner, properly educated and trained on the use of a firearm, shoots the gunman in the head. Everyone else survives. The end.

Admittedly. my perspective on this issue comes from that of a man who carries a gun at all times. Obviously, I carry a gun at work, but I also have a gun while sitting in a movie theater, while shopping for Christmas gifts at the Galleria, and even while watching HGTV from my easy chair. I understand that this may seem strange to some, but I have sound reasoning for doing so. It does not come from paranoia; it comes from the experience of a life constantly surrounded by violent tragedy. I refuse to be unprepared to defend myself, those that I love, and innocent strangers against violent, armed confrontations. Experience has taught me that police, while they undoubtedly do everything they can, are rarely in the right place at the right time. A common phrase, "When seconds matter, police are just minutes away" is absolutely true.

I know that my views on this subject differ from the views of several of my friends and family. Feel free to agree or disagree with me, and even post comments if you wish. I only ask that you avoid ignorant, inflammatory language when you do. 

Regardless of your views on this issue, I think we can all agree that this senseless act of violence is unbelievable. My heart and prayers go out to those affected, and I sincerely hope that God offers them comfort in this trying time.