Before it was “normal,” before it was “just another shooting,” before it was “thoughts and prayers” galore, there was a time when there was the benefit of the doubt for those who made threats against institutions of education, the workplace, fairgrounds, parades, concerts, churches, synagogues, temples and any other gathering place for mass amounts of people. Now, and rightfully so, it is taken very seriously and such unlawful acts are handhandled to the full extent of the law.

Any threat against the public is now taken with the utmost levels of concern, even if credibility is a part of the story or not. It seems these days, anyone and everyone in the United States is in danger of gun violence and when you see or hear something you better tell someone, because you just never know.

Regardless of what was done or wasn’t done with recent threats at our schools, the story must stay the same throughout our county… when our children are threatened, it shouldn’t be just a slap on the wrist to the perpetrator. A misdemeanor is just too little of a punishment, and it serves little purpose in turning potentially dangerous individuals back on the street to possibly do harm to our society.

Stricter laws need to be implemented.

Also, law enforcement and school officials need to notify those in harm’s way – as well as the parents of school children – of the potential for any possibly threat. This can be done without jeopardizing any investigation, and, as Monticello Central proved last month, it is the  safest course of action.

Last year, ABC News reported that there were at least 627 mass shootings in the United States by December 4 –  that’s nearly two a day. With the reminder that threats can very easily be followed up on any given day, we hope that the school districts practice open communication with parents, teachers and staff as to exactly what is happening and when it is happening. These warnings are also how communities can come together proactively and not reactively. 

In America, we can keep telling ourselves that our schools are the safest place for our children, but that security comes with swift reaction and communication.

And we certainly hope that our politicians in Albany see what is happening across our state and reverse the insane “Catch and Release” policies they have implemented in our court systems.

By putting potentially dangerous offenders back on the street so quickly, our Albany politicians are putting all of our communities at risk.

To let your voice be heard, call New York State Senator Peter Oberaker at (607) 432-5524 and New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther at 845-794-5807 to voice your opinion.