SENTINEL WATCH April 7, 2008 Issue

ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF VIRGINIA TECH

DAVE HOHLE

I WAS CHANGING PLANES when I saw the first television images on the airport monitor. Even without sound it was clear that something dramatic and unfortunate was unfolding somewhere in the world. Every few minutes the graphic on the screen updated a tally next to the words, "Confirmed Dead."

That was a year ago, April 16, 2007, the day a student gunman killed 33, including himself, at Virginia Tech University, the worst school shooting in US history. Now, a year later, we might ask if there has been any progress. Are school populations any safer? Sadly, the frequency of campus shootings has increased since then. There have already been five incidents in 2008, the deadliest of those being the Valentine's Day shooting spree at Northern Illinois University.

What is the solution to this escalating trend of violence?