New Jersey, May 20, 2018: The American Sikh Council (ASC) condemned the mass murder which took place at the Santa Fe High School about 20 miles outside Galveston, Texas. The incident happened just when classes started at 7:30 am on Friday, May 18, 2018.
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17 a teenage white terrorist who allegedly used a shotgun and a .38 revolver, killed 10 people and wounded 13 others at this Texas high school. Total nine students and one teacher were killed by the terrorist.
Later homemade explosives, including a pressure cooker and a Molotov cocktail were also found according to law enforcement officials.
A second suspect possibly a student has been detained as well, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
This is the 22nd school shooting since the beginning of 2018 in the US. That is – one school shooting a week! This is completely outrageous, and every Congressman and Senator needs to be called out if they do not support sensible gun control.
In an emailed statement, the ASC maintained that the schools are supposed to be the safest place outside a home so that children concentrate on studies and thrive. Instead school children are stressed and afraid that there is a likelihood of getting shot by terrorists, who could their classmates and more.
The ASC strongly disagreed with the view of the President Trump who had stated on Saturday February 24, 2018 that, “If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly.” The teachers' job is to teach and not to work as law enforcement personnel, it added.
Dimitrios Pagourtzis
The statement urged the US Congress and the President to take this matter more seriously than the less important foreign policy issues which seem to take up quality time.
The ASC President Dr. Gurdas Singh stated, “Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this appalling and unprecedented violence. Innocent school children have been shot in 22 schools over and over again across our nation in the last 138 days and this kind of terrorism must stop immediately.”
The ASC reiterated its stand against all kinds of terrorism and especially homegrown terrorists who must be denounced in the strongest possible terms and brought to justice.It also urged all the Gurdwaras and other Sikh institutions to hold candle light vigils, organize and/or join hands in any local rally being held against hate and bigotry, donate blood, and continue to educate non-Sikh neighbors about the Sikh message of universal brotherhood/sisterhood to spread peace and inclusiveness as directed by our faith founders.
All Sikh Americans were asked by the ASC to be vigilant and make sure that there are security measures in place for the respective Gurdwaras and the sangats. These are trying times and it is up to us to be proactive and be prepared to keep our children and everyone safe.