Our Opinion: What will we learn from graduation shooting wake-up call?

Many people in Southeast Missouri list violence, particularly violence involving firearms, as a chief concern.

That’s somewhat understandable, as we don’t usually have to wait too long for another shooting here or there to remind us that gun violence is an actual thing.

To be fair: Cape Girardeau is not Dodge City. Neither is Sikeston nor Charleston nor Jackson nor any other locale in this region.

Because shootings have been relatively rare in the past, such incidents catch attention now. Don’t forget that just a few years ago an entire calendar year passed in Cape Girardeau without a murder (firearm-related and otherwise).

Still, a shooting raises eyebrows, especially in Cape Girardeau.

The shooting at this spring’s Cape Central High School graduation at the Show Me Center struck a nerve.

Luckily, the shooting wasn’t targeted at the event. Instead, it involved two men with a past.

Still, the fact that at least one gun was in the venue was sobering.

How did that happen?

Through many hours of reporting and records searching, we know a little bit about that.

The public school district had been operating like most of the rest of us — lulled into a sense of security because a school shooting, well, that kind of thing just doesn’t happen here.

Until it does.

The board responsible for managing the Show Me Center — and therefore overseeing security measures — hadn’t met for several years. Hasn’t, we should say.

Prior to the graduation shooting, there wasn’t much of a sense of urgency on anyone’s part to prevent such a thing.

In the aftermath, some actions have been taken. Jackson and Cape Girardeau public schools will begin screening at on-campus events.

That’s a start.

But what else will come of the anxious energy generated by that near-miss incident?

Cape’s municipal gun violence task force continues to meet and discuss potential measures. It’s unclear, though, how much the city can do, in light of state laws, or how much political will there will be to take even small steps aimed at reducing gun violence.

A wake-up call is only as good as what comes out of it.

If after the initial fervor quietens down, everything goes back to the previous normal and the lesson is lost, consider that a squandered opportunity.

We’ve been lucky in that the gun violence incidents we’ve had haven’t resulted in a tragic, potentially avoidable, mass casualty event.

Yet.

Now is the time to examine vulnerabilities, consider options and implement — and follow — policies and procedures to ensure the public’s safety.