Newtown: Why We Shouldn't Let the Actions of a Madman Paralyze Us

Less than one week after the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., another school with the same name nearly 400 miles away was interrupted by a man trying to make a point.

Thirty-three-year-old Christopher Garret Johnson walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary School of Strasburg, Va., with a big piece of wood labeled "high powered rifle."

Yes, that's right. The words, "high powered rifle" on a two-by-four.

He was making a point that most parents already know. America's schools are accessible. Many, if not most, keep their front doors unlocked during the school day. Kids, teachers, parents, and volunteers walk in and out hourly.

Yes, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown could have easily happened at any school in any town in America.

That's partly why Americans are mourning so deeply for the loved ones of those lost in Newtown. It could have just as easily been their children, their spouse, brother, sister, mother, or father.

So thank you Mr. Johnson for making the point no one needed demonstrated. The only thing you succeeded in doing is creating fear and doubt among the people of that school and county. School was also cancelled two days later.

It's good that schools feel comfortable keeping their doors open. Our children shouldn't have to live in fear while trying to learn nor should teachers as they instruct.

Should school safety be addressed? Absolutely! We should learn every lesson available from what happened in Newtown. But we can't let the actions of a mad man (or subsequent mad men) paralyze us.