Guns on School Grounds Getting All Too Common?

Learning that an 8-year-old student at Colt Elementary brought a loaded handgun to school Friday April 9, did not shock me. It took me only moments to realize that as both a reporter and a person, I am desensitized to these occurrences because they are becoming all too common in our country.

Student, 8, brings loaded gun to school

Teachers at Colt and Marble Falls Independent School District officials are lucky no one was injured or hurt–unlike the countless other incidents that have placed schools, colleges and universities in the national spotlight for all of the wrong reasons.

Do the names Columbine, Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University sound familiar?

NIU Massacre Audio Slideshow

For me, one in particular is very personal.

In 2008, I covered the Valentine’s Day Massacre at Northern Illinois University while I worked as the Illinois political correspondent for MTV’s Choose or Lose Campaign. Five undergraduates were shot to death after Stephen Kazmierczak opened fire on unsuspecting students in a lecture hall. The visions of students crying at five makeshift crosses planted in the snow, kids writing memorials on boards and the sound the yellow crime scene tape made flapping in the bitter cold wind are all things I will never forget. In short, I have seen the devastation, upset and emotional havoc these tragedies leave in their wake.

Crosses are erected on the NIU campus to remember those killed in a shooting rampage.

I have kept in touch with a few students I interviewed at NIU, and I can tell you, the pain of this event still runs deep.

Yes, today, MFISD, teachers, students, the city of Marble Falls and the State of Texas were fortunate, the gun was confiscated before a tragedy occurred. But, there are many questions we need to ask and many answers we need to better PREVENT these occurrences. Here are a few for thought?

Should we have metal detectors in all schools?

How are these students, in this case an 8-year-old, getting their hands on guns?

When a third grader brings a loaded gun to school, who should be punished, the student or their caregiver (s), or both?

Do incidents like these call for stricter gun laws?

What should happen to students caught with guns?

KXAN will have a full report on the incident at Colt Elementary this evening, but in the meantime, ask yourself, What can be done to keep guns out of children’s hands and out of our schools and campuses? In reality, there is no way of knowing if your college dorm, your child’s classroom or the countless other places students go will be the scene of a shooting.

Gone Griswold

On Super Bowl Sunday, I had the privilege of sitting in the driver's seat of the infamous "Griswold Family Truckster"-a well-known car from the 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo.


The car, which was parked outside Molotov Lounge on Sixth Street, was in town to promote a 30 second Super Bowl spot created by HomeAway, a local Austin company.

Feel free to check out the spot & story here: Austin Co. has big ad in big game

Now, for those of you who are Griswold fanatics like myself ( I also hail from Illinois where the fictitious family lived), you know how infamous this car is...How it withstood getting its hubcaps getting ripped off in East St. Louis to the grandma dying in the backseat.

The movies all have a cult following. However, did fear that when I showed these movies to the children I plan on having one day they'd look at me and say, "Mom, this is so dated, let's go see the new hi-tech movie out by Disney's Pixar," it appears the Griswolds, along with their truckster, are gearing up for a comeback in two movies.

While that news is great out of Hollywood, sitting in this car made me reflect on how we get attached to movies as young children and remember the tiniest tidbits. When I heard I would get the chance to be in the truckster, within a few seconds, I could recall everything about the car, its lime green trim, etc. Then, I called my brother and sister in Chicago to belt out the exciting news.

And, it made me think of all the other cars featured in movies I have fond memories of and compiled my top 5 list of both the car and movie it appeared in.

1) Griswold Family Truckster



2) 1961 Ferrari GT featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off



3) British Layland Mini 1000 driven by Mr. Bean aka Rowan Atkinson



4) AMC Gremlin that rocked flame decals in Wayne's World


Question: How many of you considered putting a red licorice dispenser in your car after you saw Garth had one?

5) 2008 Batmobile & Bat Bike "Dark Knight"


My brother Bob, my sister Jayne and I attended the premier of The Dark Knight and the batmobile and bike were there. While they don't lend themselves to photos, if you saw the movie, you know how the awesomeness this car and bike exude.



Now, there are obviously tons of cars that didn't make my top five. If you could touch or drive one car that was featured in a movie, what would it be?