President Reagan was shot in 1981.  The .22 caliber “Devastator” bullet ricocheted off of the bulletproof presidential limousine, and that was how it hit our then President.  John Hinckley Jr., the fella who shot him, did so in an attempt to impress actress Jodi Foster.  And just a few months before that, Beatles legend John Lennon was shot in the archway of the Dakota – the place where he lived in New York City.  He was hit by Mark Chapman, who was pissed off that the music icon said that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.  The bullets that his Lennon were .38 caliber.  So, he did not fare as well as Dutch (Reagan’s nickname for the youngsters).

Even with Presidential level security, Hinckley got to President Reagan.  Three others were injured as well.  Then Press Secretary James Brady – was shot in the head; Secret Serviceman Tim McCarthy took a bullet in the chest; and Policeman James Delahanty was hit in the neck.  According to some, they were hit by “stray bullets.”  These stray bullets, unlike stray dogs, have been killing children and innocents all over Chicago for years.  A bullet intended to kill one person that kills or injures some other is stray.  This terminology is far too simplistic for such a complex language and diminishes the facts.  Stray cats roam freely in search of food, while bullets are projectiles ignited by an explosion traveling in a straight line until stopped abruptly by a person or a thing.  We gotta stop saying “stray,” I think.

How many concerts have you attended where the audience stands behind the stage?  What about graduation ceremonies?  Musicals?  In places where the speakers or performers need to be heard, attendees usually do not sit behind the sub-woofers.  In political rallies, such as the one that featured an assassination attempt last week, people are sitting behind and on the sides of the podium.  I see the value of it – so that the home audiences can be mesmerized by the number of attendees at such things.  Aside from all of the information coming out about slanted roofs, high-powered rifles, snipers, drones, a kid walking around with a range finder, and a ladder on the side of a building – has anyone thought about the seating arrangements at these rallies? 

The guy who takes the stage requires round-the-clock protection from an army of highly trained tactical experts.  They have sharpshooters and explosive-proof vehicles, and cell signals are even suppressed as these motorcades move through the streets.  When Bill Clinton came to Boston, I got stuck in traffic for two hours because they froze everyone so his motorcade could traverse an empty street.  And when Barack Obama made his way to Harvard, it was more of the same.  Has anyone considered the hundreds, if not thousands, who form the backstops at political rallies might be a terrible idea?  I mean, great for ratings.  Bad for safety.  Corey Comperatore wasn’t hit killed by a stray bullet.  He was struck simply by a bullet.

I have one more question for you.  Is there any difference in being shot by a bullet from a “high-powered” rifle versus a low-powered rifle?  Is it better to get hit by a shot from a Remington 700 or AR-15?  They use the same bullets, after all.  Malcolm Gladwell has an excellent six-part series about guns in America on his podcast, Revisionists History.  You can listen to the first episode here.  I don’t care if the bullet comes from a 22, 38, 45, or an AR.  In the end, they all do the same damn thing. 

I was eight years old when John Lennon and Ronald Reagan were shot.  Both sent shockwaves through my home and school.  I remember conversations about the death penalty for Hinckley and whether or not he’d get it in whatever state he was in.  This wasn't very clear for the second-grade version of me.   A funny old guy getting shot, and the guy who shot him may get electrocuted for doing so.  Wisely, it wasn’t a topic our teacher would broach with us at school. 

In raising children and in education, some of us adhere to clearly defined intervention styles with our kids.  One of these is called the “Relating Approach.”  I’ve studied it and pulled it out when appropriate or needed.  In the “Relating Approach,” we think of our child's age and developmental level, then reach inside ourselves and recall what it was like to be at that.  I have a 13-year-old, and a 13-year-old version of me is still inside me.  So, last Sunday, I thought long and hard about being 13 – I accessed the 13-year-old version of myself.  I know that 13-year-olds have questions, and they need answers.  So, I told my son that we were going out for dinner.

We went to the Atlantic Sea Grill, where I knew they’d have the televisions on, and the assassination convo would thrive.  I told my son about what it was like when I was a kid when Ronald Reagan was shot.  I told him about Lennon, too.  And as predictable as the sun rising in the morning, he asked, “Why?”  We talked about it all.  Guns, mental health, media-driven frenzies, breakdowns in security, and even picking good, safe places to sit or stand where there are many people, in condensed areas, and when there is lots of attention from the press.  After all, this is where and when and where terrible things happen. 

We talked about the fire at the Station Nightclub Fire and how knowing where the exits are can save your life.  Sometimes, going opposite the way everyone is going is the best thing to do.  For years, and even now, when I go into crowded places with him, I ask him to identify the routes out, places to hide, and what could be used as a weapon if needed.  As parents, it is too bad that we must do this – but we gotta.  What I did not do was tell him that the near child who killed Corey Comperatore, injured others, and tried to kill Donald Trump was just crazy or nuts.  There is so much more to it than that. 

I’ve passed my 1,000-word limit, so it is getting cut here. I want us to use this insanity as a time to talk to our kids about what they are curious about. It is a sensitive time, and neither TikTok nor SnapChat should be their teachers on this one.