DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the name of the school.
Nearly a decade after convincing an armed intruder to surrender at Dekalb County's Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, Antoinette Tuff says empathy and compassion must be part of the solution to gun violence.
On August 20, 2013, Tuff was transformed from school bookkeeper to hero when she encountered a man armed with an AK-47. Her words of empathy convinced 20-year-old Michael Hill to surrender.
She insists compassion is still the answer.
“When you look at some of the shootings, some of these things stem from people feeling bullied,” Tuff said. “They didn’t feel included.”
Now, her compassion is for the families of those who died inside of a Texas school, as well as others who have died in recent mass shootings in America.
As the President calls for a ban on assault weapons, Tuff is convinced our nation’s gun laws have to change, and that our nation’s lawmakers need look at the issue with compassion.
“It doesn’t bother people until it hits their front door, knocks, and walks in,” she said. “And now it’s one of your children.”
She insists it goes beyond changing laws.
Tuff has formed a non-profit organization called Kids on the Move for Success. Through after school programs and mentor programs, the organization works to identify and resolve issues before violence enters the picture.
“You’ve got to look at the foundation of what’s going on in families,” she added. “Every family is different.”
She is leaning on her faith that tells her something will change as she thinks of the families grieving in Texas and beyond.