My Take:

There is a tendency to deflect when we hear about mass shootings in the United States. People say things like, “I’m glad I live in Canada,” as if being on the other side of the border makes us immune.

I was just about to start high school when 13 students were murdered at Columbine and even though that happened in another country, it had a distinct impact on the way I viewed the world.

Seven years later I spent an anxious afternoon trying to contact friends and former classmates during the shooting at Dawson.

Since then I’ve participated in lockdowns in schools, and heard my own children talk about what they are supposed to do if someone shows up at their school with a gun.

When I think about what happened this past week in Texas, “glad” is the last word that comes to mind.