Thursday, May 26, 2022
By Dean Scott Ryan
School of Social Work
Photo courtesy: The Guardian
Last week, I published a statement imploring Social Workers to advocate for banning or limiting the availability and use of assault weapons. My statement came a few days after a White 18-year-old male shot and killed 10 people in a hate-filled racially targeted rampage, police said, at a Topps supermarket in Buffalo, New York. He specifically targeted this supermarket because it is in a predominantly Black community.
As I mentioned in last week’s statement these mass shootings here in the United States are occurring almost daily. Unfortunately, Tuesday we faced another mass shooting, and this time it was here in Texas at an elementary school.
Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Salvador Ramos used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle to massacre 19 school children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The shooter was just 18 years old, legally bought the two rifles just a few days before Tuesday’s shooting, authorities reported.
Last year, the governor signed 22 pieces of legislation relaxing or expanding gun laws. He said Texas is a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State.” As of Sept. 1, Texas became the state with the least restrictive gun laws in the nation with no permits, background checks or training required. Legislation lowered the age to 18 for gun purchasing and carrying a handgun in the state.
Again, I implore our elected leaders to come together and pass meaningful legislation addressing the proliferation of guns, gaps in background checks, raising the age purchase limit, banning/restricting assault-style rifles, and requiring training and licensing.
As Social Workers, we must step up the advocacy to get lawmakers to pass legislation that will truly address the issue, which other democratic and advanced economy countries have successfully been able to do. These countries were able to do this because they focused on the real problems and common-sense solutions.
Yes, mental health access and disparity is an issue, but it’s not the sole issue and it should not be used to deflect from the other substantive things that must done such as access, background checks, licensing, training, age limits, banning/restricting certain weapons, and other steps that have proven to work in other democratic and advanced economy countries.
Here at UTA, the Vice President for Student Affairs Lisa Nagy, says they have identified more than a dozen UTA students from Uvalde and have reached out to those students providing support for counseling resources, information about the emergency assistance fund and academic support contacts.
With traumatic losses such as the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, it is helpful to speak with a counselor or therapist.
UTA students may contact the UTA Counseling and Psychological Services Office for an appointment at 817-272-2771 or call the call MAVS Talk 24 Hour Crisis Line 817-272-TALK (8255).
In addition, licensed clinical social workers, counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, and other professionals in the mental health field can help you with traumatic events such as these. The National Institute of Mental Health encourages you to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). If it is an imminent life-threating situation, call 911 for emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room.
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and alumni please join me in expressing our deepest sympathies to all the friends and loved ones affected by the loss of the adults and children killed.
Let’s take real and meaningful action now! Let’s not add another school to the list below.
In solidarity,
Scott D. Ryan
Dean and Professor
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Arlington
According to Above the Law List of School Shootings:
- Thurston High School
- Columbine High School
- Heritage High School
- Deming Middle School
- Fort Gibson Middle School
- Buell Elementary School
- Lake Worth Middle School
- University of Arkansas
- Junipero Serra High School
- Santana High School
- Bishop Neumann High School
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Granite Hills High School
- Lew Wallace High School
- Martin Luther King, Jr. High School
- Appalachian School of Law
- Washington High School
- Conception Abbey
- Benjamin Tasker Middle School
- University of Arizona
- Lincoln High School
- John McDonogh High School
- Red Lion Area Junior High School
- Case Western Reserve University
- Rocori High School
- Ballou High School
- Randallstown High School
- Bowen High School
- Red Lake Senior High School
- Harlan Community Academy High School
- Campbell County High School
- Milwee Middle School
- Roseburg High School
- Pine Middle School
- Essex Elementary School
- Duquesne University
- Platte Canyon High School
- Weston High School
- West Nickel Mines School
- Joplin Memorial Middle School
- Henry Foss High School
- Compton Centennial High School
- Virginia Tech
- Success Tech Academy
- Miami Carol City Senior High School
- Hamilton High School
- Louisiana Technical College
- Mitchell High School
- E.O. Green Junior High School
- Northern Illinois University
- Lakota Middle School
- Knoxville Central High School
- Willoughby South High School
- Henry Ford High School
- University of Central Arkansas
- Dillard High School
- Dunbar High School
- Hampton University
- Harvard College
- Larose-Cut Off Middle School
- International Studies Academy
- Skyline College
- Discovery Middle School
- University of Alabama
- DeKalb School
- Deer Creek Middle School
- Ohio State University
- Mumford High School
- University of Texas
- Kelly Elementary School
- Marinette High School
- Aurora Central High School
- Millard South High School
- Martinsville West Middle School
- Worthing High School
- Millard South High School
- Highlands Intermediate School
- Cape Fear High School
- Chardon High School
- Episcopal School of Jacksonville
- Oikos University
- Hamilton High School
- Perry Hall School
- Normal Community High School
- University of South Alabama
- Banner Academy South
- University of Southern California
- Sandy Hook Elementary School
- Apostolic Revival Center Christian School
- Taft Union High School
- Osborn High School
- Stevens Institute of Business and Arts
- Hazard Community and Technical College
- Chicago State University
- Lone Star College-North
- Cesar Chavez High School
- Price Middle School
- University of Central Florida
- New River Community College
- Grambling State University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School
- Ronald E. McNair Discovery Academy
- North Panola High School
- Carver High School
- Agape Christian Academy
- Sparks Middle School
- North Carolina A&T State University
- Stephenson High School
- Brashear High School
- West Orange High School
- Arapahoe High School
- Edison High School
- Liberty Technology Magnet High School
- Hillhouse High School
- Berrendo Middle School
- Purdue University
- South Carolina State University
- Los Angeles Valley College
- Charles F. Brush High School
- University of Southern California
- Georgia Regents University
- Academy of Knowledge Preschool
- Benjamin Banneker High School
- D. H. Conley High School
- East English Village Preparatory Academy
- Paine College
- Georgia Gwinnett College
- John F. Kennedy High School
- Seattle Pacific University
- Reynolds High School
- Indiana State University
- Albemarle High School
- Fern Creek Traditional High School
- Langston Hughes High School
- Marysville Pilchuck High School
- Florida State University
- Miami Carol City High School
- Rogers State University
- Rosemary Anderson High School
- Wisconsin Lutheran High School
- Frederick High School
- Tenaya Middle School
- Bethune-Cookman University
- Pershing Elementary School
- Wayne Community College
- J.B. Martin Middle School
- Southwestern Classical Academy
- Savannah State University
- Harrisburg High School
- Umpqua Community College
- Northern Arizona University
- Texas Southern University
- Tennessee State University
- Winston-Salem State University
- Mojave High School
- Lawrence Central High School
- Franklin High School
- Muskegon Heights High School
- Independence High School
- Madison High School
- Antigo High School
- University of California-Los Angeles
- Jeremiah Burke High School
- Alpine High School
- Townville Elementary School
- Vigor High School
- Linden McKinley STEM Academy
- June Jordan High School for Equity
- Union Middle School
- Mueller Park Junior High School
- West Liberty-Salem High School
- University of Washington
- King City High School
- North Park Elementary School
- North Lake College
- Freeman High School
- Mattoon High School
- Rancho Tehama Elementary School
- Aztec High School
- Wake Forest University
- Italy High School
- NET Charter High School
- Marshall County High School
- Sal Castro Middle School
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
- Great Mills High School
- Central Michigan University
- Huffman High School
- Frederick Douglass High School
- Forest High School
- Highland High School
- Dixon High School
- Santa Fe High School
- Noblesville West Middle School
- University of North Carolina Charlotte
- STEM School Highlands Ranch
- Edgewood High School
- Palm Beach Central High School
- Providence Career & Technical Academy
- Fairley High School (school bus)
- Canyon Springs High School
- Dennis Intermediate School
- Florida International University
- Central Elementary School
- Cascade Middle School
- Davidson High School
- Prairie View A & M University
- Altascocita High School
- Central Academy of Excellence
- Cleveland High School
- Robert E. Lee High School
- Cheyenne South High School
- Grambling State University
- Blountsville Elementary School
- Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus)
- Prescott High School
- College of the Mainland
- Wynbrooke Elementary School
- UNC Charlotte
- Riverview Florida (school bus)
- Second Chance High School
- Carman-Ainsworth High School
- Williwaw Elementary School
- Monroe Clark Middle School
- Central Catholic High School
- Jeanette High School
- Eastern Hills High School
- DeAnza High School
- Ridgway High School
- Reginald F. Lewis High School
- Saugus High School
- Pleasantville High School
- Waukesha South High School
- Oshkosh High School
- Catholic Academy of New Haven
- Bellaire High School
- North Crowley High School
- McAuliffe Elementary School
- South Oak Cliff High School
- Texas A&M University-Commerce
- Sonora High School
- Western Illinois University
- Oxford High School
- Robb Elementary School
Get the point -- Are you tired of scrolling???
DEAN'S STATEMENT ON RECENT MASS SHOOTINGS, HATE-MOTIVATED CRIMES – published May 19
https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/social-work/news/releases/2022/05/19/deans-statement-on-recent-mass-shootings-hate-motivated-crimes