It’s August 1st, and kids in Barrow County, Georgia, are already heading back to school, which is ridiculous. Not just because it’s still summer by any rational standard, but because it’s Southern summer. Triple-digit heat indexes, sweat-soaked backpacks, and buses without AC. What a great way to kick off another year of “normal” in America.

But nothing has been normal in Barrow County since last September.

That’s when 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire inside Apalachee High School with an “AR-platform-style weapon,” killing two teachers and two fellow students and injuring nine more. It happened during second period. In the hallways. In a place where kids are supposed to learn, not bleed out.

Gray didn’t just magically get that rifle. His father, Colin Gray, is accused of giving him access to the weapon, even though he allegedly knew his son was a danger. That kind of negligence isn’t just criminal; it’s unforgivable. Colin Gray was in court today, ironically the same day Barrow County kids are returning to class. Maybe instead of posting inspirational “Welcome Back” messages, the district should remind parents not to leave weapons lying around for their unstable children to find.

So what’s the response been? What’s Georgia doing to stop the next school shooter? Spoiler alert: nothing that actually matters.

After the Apalachee High School shooting, lawmakers passed House Bill 268, which created a statewide threat database and sped up student record transfers. Barrow County Schools followed suit with a flurry of security upgrades: weapons detection systems, upgraded phone lines, “improved” school maps for police, and a 24/7 anonymous threat-reporting tipline.

Let me be clear. The tipline is a good move. Kids should have a way to report threats without fear of retaliation.

But everything else? Classic security theater. Metal detectors don’t stop bullets. Fancy maps don’t save lives. Spending $2 million to cover school resource officer salaries is a political stunt, not a safety solution. That money could have hired more teachers, reduced class sizes, bought new textbooks, and fixed crumbling infrastructure. You know, education.

And none of it addresses the core issue. Why the hell was a 14-year-old able to get his hands on a military-style rifle?

Until we start asking that question and demanding real answers, we’re just dressing a bullet wound with duct tape. And as long as lawmakers keep dodging gun reform while throwing money at optics, kids will keep dying in schools that were supposed to protect them.

Happy first day of class, Georgia. Try not to sweat through your bulletproof backpack.

(Source)

• Barrow County begins school year with $2M security upgrade