Riaan 
Ucingo lwafika ngo-7 ekuseni, ngaphambi kokuba ngithole ikhofi elanele ukuze ngilicubungule: Umlayezo oqoshiwe ovela kuthishanhloko wesikole samabanga aphezulu sendodakazi yami, usazisa ngosongo olukholakalayo.
Akubanga namininingwane eminingi, ukuthi amaphoyisa amthinte mayelana nombhalo kuFacebook oqambe isikole. Amakilasi ayezoqhubeka njengokujwayelekile, ngokuvikeleka okwengeziwe.
Manje? Bengicabanga.
Ngeke siphinde senze sengathi ingane efaka ezinkundleni zokuxhumana idubula ontanga iyihlaya noma bekungeke kwenzeke esikoleni sengane yethu – nanoma yikuphi, ngaleyo ndlela.
Ingabe ngiyamthumela noma kunjalo, ngoba usuku lokulahlekelwa isikole kunzima ukulibuyisa? Ngingenzenjani uma ngithi akahambe bese kwenzeka okuthile?
“Angazi ukuthi ezinye izizukulwane kuye kwadingeka zicele abazali nezingane ukuba benze lezi zinqumo,” kusho u-Erika Felix lapho ngimtshela ngenkinga yami. Unguprofesa wesayensi yezokusebenza kwengqondo e-UC Santa Barbara futhi ufunda ukuthi imindeni ilusingatha kanjani udlame lwezibhamu.
Abazali kuyo yonke indawo bavaleleke phakathi kokunikeza isiqinisekiso nokujwayelekile, wathi, futhi “ongase ube sengozini yokuzisola ngaleso sinqumo impilo yakho yonke,” nakuba eveza ukuthi, ngokwezibalo, ukudubula kwabantu abaningi kuhlala kuyivelakancane.
Noma kunjalo, i-Generation Z – abamukeli baleso senzo sokulinganisa kwabazali kanye nabaphathi bolwazi lokuthi izinkinga zezibalo azikuvimbeli ekubeni ube yizibalo – uhlushwa “lokhu kuqapha okungapheli kwezinga eliphansi,” kusho uFelix. “Kuyinto ezenzakalelayo kubo ukuthi babheke indlela yokubalekela.”
Kudingeka siyeke ukucabanga ngodlame lwezibhamu njengemizuzwana embalwa noma amaminithi okuthengwa kwensimbi eshisayo enyameni. Ngikhalela abangasekho kuleli sonto namasonto onke. Ngobugovu ngibonga ukuthi angithintwa usizi olungabekezeleleki lokushonelwa ingane, ingane yakwethu, umzali, umngane.
Kodwa sonke siyizisulu zodlame lwezibhamu, ngamunye wethu. Kungaphezu kobhubhane, noma inkinga yezempilo yomphakathi. Okomuntu siqu, futhi ngicabanga ukuthi abaningi benu bakuzwa ngendlela engizizwa ngayo. Kungani sigxilisa amalungelo ezibhamu phezu kwelungelo lethu lokungafi, lokungangcwabi izingane zethu? Okugcwele nakakhulu, ngaphezu kwelungelo lethu lokungesabi?
Kuleli qiniso elididayo ngokuphelele lokufa okunepolitiki e-United States, sibe nakho Izehlakalo ezingama-72 zodlame lwezibhamu kusukela ngomhlaka-1 Janokuhlanganisa ukuhlasela okungaphezu kweshumi nambili okufanelekela ukudutshulwa kwabantu abaningi, ngokusho kwe-Gun Violence Archive, elandelela leli nani elibi.
Lokho akukona ukuphrinta okungalungile. Bangaphezu kuka-5,000 abantu abashonile ngenxa yazo zonke izinhlobo zodlame lwezibhamu kulo nyaka e-United States, futhi asikaze sishaye intwasahlobo.
Kwakamuva Ukucindezeleka eMelika ucwaningo olwenziwe yi-American Psychological Assn., i-73% ithe ukudubula kwabantu abaningi kuwumthombo obalulekile wokucindezeleka. Abesifazane abanebala elimhlophe ikakhulukazi bacaphune kokubili ukudubulana kwabantu abaningi kanye nodlame lwezibhamu ngokuvamile njengokwengeza ingcindezi ezimpilweni zabo. Lokho kusho ukulahlekelwa ubuthongo, ukungakwazi ukugxilisa ingqondo, ukudangala, ukukhathazeka – inkinga yezempilo yengqondo ebhaliwe yokuphila nesihluku.
UFeliksi uqhathanisa ubudlova besibhamu netshe elincane elijikijelwa emanzini anganyakazi. Singabona imibuthano eqondile yomthelela wayo, kodwa ama-ripples azonwebeka aze afike ogwini, kube nzima nakakhulu ukukubona kodwa kusekhona. Noma singaphunyuka ekubulaweni ngesibhamu, asikwazi ukubalekela imiphumela yokubulala nobuhlungu obungaka emphakathini wethu nakithina.
Siphila enkathini yokuhlukunyezwa kwezibhamu, ngokwesaba ukuthi thina noma othile esimthandayo uzodutshulwa njengoba ehlezi ekilasini lezibalo, ecosha ibhokisi lamaqanda esitolo segrosa noma ebuka i-blockbuster enkundleni yemidlalo yeshashalazi.
Noma mhlawumbe inhlamvu izovela kusibhamu esisetshenziswa umlingani wasekhaya – ngokuvamile owesilisa – ohlanganisa uthando nokulawula nokuhlukumeza. Mayelana Bangu-70 abesifazane abadutshulwa futhi babulawe nyanga zonke ngabathandana nabo.
Noma mhlawumbe ngesikhathi kugetshengwa ucingo lwethunoma uma sikhuluma kabi kumuntu ongafanele, noma ngoba kukhona ozonda umbala wesikhumba sethu.
Siyesaba ngoba kuyenzeka, ngoba usongo luyiqiniso. Ngoba kunezibhamu eziningi eMelika kunezaseMelika.
NgoLwesibili bekuwusuku lwesikhumbuzo seminyaka emihlanu kwadutshulwana eMarjory Stoneman Douglas High School eParkland, Fla. Kwabulawa u-17, kwalimala abayishumi nesikhombisa ngezinhlamvu. Izinkulungwane zihlukumezekile impilo yonke.
NgoMsombuluko, ngosuku olwandulela lolo phawu olusabekayo lokungabi nandaba kwethu nezimpilo zezingane, abantu abasha abathathu babulawa ushayasibhamu eMichigan State University. Abahlanu balimele. Izinkulungwane zihlukumezekile impilo yonke.
Ngesonto eledlule, bengiseHalf Moon Bay, lapho ushayasibhamu wabulala abantu abahlanu asebenza nabo futhi walimala omunye emapulazini amabili amakhowe lapho ayesebenza khona. Ngakhuluma no-Rocio Avila owayesanda kufika evela endaweni yokupaka izimoto esikoleni sendodakazi yakhe.
Selokhu adubula, endala yakhe ibilokhu ibhekene nokukhathazeka okukhulu ngokuthi umdubuli uzomfica – kangangoba udinga ukwazi ukuthi umama wakhe useduze, lapho uma kufika i-boogeyman ephuma ngenhlamvu. Ngakho u-Avila wayechitha izinsuku zakhe ehlezi emotweni yakhe ngaphambili, engazi ukuthi angayisiza kanjani enye ingane yakhe.
Kuwukungabi namandla iningi lethu elikuzwayo, okuthukutheliswe yiNkantolo Ephakeme ngokusobala yachitha ubuhlakani bayo (kanye nobethu) kangangokuthi iningi labo elilandela imithetho likholelwa ukuthi yonke into ekufanele inqume kwaphothulwa abamhlophe ngenkathi ye-muskets nobugqila – umbono wokuqala njengokuzisebenzela njengononya.
Ku Texas kule nyangaiNkantolo yesi-5 Yesifunda Yokudlulisa Amacala yasebenzisa leyo ndlela ngokukhipha isinqumo sokuthi ngisho nalabo abangaphansi kwesiyalo sokuvinjelwa ngoba besolwa ngobudlova basekhaya banelungelo lokugcina izibhamu zabo.
Lesi sinqumo siphume ecaleni lapho kwakhishwa khona izibhamu owesilisa owabandakanyeka ezigamekweni ezinhlanu ezahlukene zokudubula ngenyanga eyodwa – konke lokhu kwenzeka ngesikhathi engavunyelwe ngokomthetho ukuba nezibhamu ngenxa yencwadi evimbelayo.
Ngibuze uchwepheshe wezomthetho womthethosisekelo wase-UC Berkeley u-Erwin Chemerinsky ukuthi akhona yini amathuba okuguqulwa kwezibhamu okunengqondo ngalolo hlobo lwesizinda sezomthetho.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi kuncike kulokho okuchaza ngokuthi ‘okunenjongo,’” ephendula.
UChemerinsky ukholelwa ukuthi uhulumeni uzokwazi ukuqhubeka nokufuna amalayisensi ezikhali futhi avimbele labo abalahlwe amacala obugebengu ukuthi babe nazo, nakuba lokho kubhekene nezinselelo zomthetho. Singakwazi futhi ukuvimba izibhamu “ezindaweni ezibucayi,” njengezikhumulo zezindiza, izikole nezinkantolo.
Mhlawumbe sizokwazi ukuvimbela “izikhali eziyingozi ikakhulukazi,” esho. Kodwa akaqiniseki ukuthi kuzobanjwa ama-AR-15 namamagazini anamandla amakhulu, ukuvinjelwa okuphinde kuqulwe amacala.
Uthe okuningi “ukulawulwa kwezibhamu kuzoqedwa,” okusho ukuthi lokhu kungase kube kubi ngaphambi kokuba kube ngcono.
Kodwa angililahli ithemba, futhi njengabanye abaningi, angiyeki ukulwa nokulawulwa kwezibhamu ezinengqondo. Mina njengomzali anginalo lelo lungelo.
E-Half Moon Bay, ngahamba phezu kwamabala egazi lomunye wezisulu ngaphambi kokuba ngibone ukuthi kwakuyini, ngicela intethelelo emoyeni wowesifazane engingakaze ngimbone. E-Sacramento ezinsukwini ezimbalwa kamuva, ngehla ngomgwaqo lapho ngavala khona okunye ukudubula kwabantu abaningi, igazi elikhohliwe kakhulu ngaphansi kwezinyawo zami.
Ngithumele indodakazi yami esikoleni naphezu kosongo, futhi ngizizwa ngigula ngenxa yokukhathazeka njengoba ngibhala lokhu.
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