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gun culture

David Spain, MD, Chief of Trauma at Stanford Health Care teaching 17-year-old Sequoia High School student Alex Rojo how to stop bleeds on mannequin

I was teaching in a public high school classroom the day that two heavily armed students walked into Columbine High School in Colorado and shot 36 people, killing 15 of them. My students and I watched in horror as aerial news footage showed blood-splattered students fleeing the building. I looked around at the 15 and 16-year-olds under my supervision, watching a piece of their innocence shatter.

The thought of preparing for such terror ourselves didn't cross our minds, though. It was a terrible tragedy, but it was a fluke. A one-off. An anomaly.

Then came Red Lake, Virginia Tech, Marysville, Umpqua, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Santa Fe, and more.

"School shootings" have become a thing—a distinctly American phenomenon. After every single one, the U.S. has exploded into debates over guns and rights and what should be done. And after every single one—even after 20 six- and seven-year-olds were shot to death in their classrooms—federal gun legislation has never gotten off the ground.

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Over the weekend, an NFL star was shot. Now hear what his coach said.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke out in an interview with USA Today.

On Saturday night, former NFL Pro Bowl defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed during a traffic altercation.

Just hours earlier, the 2010 Super Bowl champion tweeted about how much fun he was having at the French Quarter Fest in New Orleans. While information is still rolling in about exactly what happened, it's a tragedy all around.


Sean Payton, Smith's coach for most of his time in New Orleans, did something rare for an NFL coach: He spoke out against lax gun laws, violence, and culture.

In a 33-minute phone interview with USA Today, Payton sounded off about everything from what it was like driving to the scene of the shooting to Smith's potential for becoming an NFL coach someday. The night of the shooting, Payton spent time at the hospital with Smith's wife, Racquel, who was also shot.

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