The formidable death of young TV star Rebecca Schaeffer this summer brought up some rather disturbing information. Hollywood is becoming less of a home to the families who live there. Consider these names: Tina Marie Ledbetter (who wrote 5,000 or more letters to Michael J. Fox), Arthur Richard Jackson (who stabbed actress Theresa Saldana 10 times), Daniel Vega (who stalked Donna Mills) and Robert John Bardo (who stalked and killed Rebecca Schaffer). They have all at one point made Hollywood one of America's least favorite places. Also, Mark Chapman murdered John Lennon outside his house in New York. Finally, lest we forget, John Hinckley shot President Reagan and critically wounded James Brady his press secretary. It is not safe to be a celebrity anywhere in America.

But instead of looking at this in just one way, let’s turn the page. How it is that guns are still so easy to get? Could it be that theses people didn’t get the right education? Maybe they didn’t get enough love while they were growing up. Or did they just need to be famous for a few days in their lives?

First, guns are a big part of today’s world. Anyone can get them. Does the person selling the guns think about what he or she is doing? We have enough violence as it is. Do we want our children to grow up in a world so uncontrolled that laws can’t even protects us? If not, then let’s think of a way to work out this problem we’re having with all these guns. At this moment, there’s nothing to protect us from guns getting into the wrong hands. There are other things that we can do. Television can be entertaining, but leave all the violent stuff to cable and the movies.

Education is also a big part of this world we live in. We need to be educated more and told that we’ll be great leaders for tomorrow. We need an education big enough to match our dreams. Hope in future stops students from dropping out of school. And we need love. If young boys and girls are teased all their lives and told that they are nothing, then think they are nothing. Love is the most consequential thing to a young child. When it’s not given to them, they look for it in other places and in other people. All we see is crazy people killing and confusing people’s lives. We deserve to feel the feeling of being loved; but for some, being loved isn’t one of the things they get. The most important thing in my mind is to love your kids, grandkids, and young friends. If you can do that, you make your child, friend or grandchild famous in your house. Maybe then he or she wouldn’t need to famous in everybody else’s house.

Now there’s another name that I hope won’t be added to all these others. Ralph J. Nau, 34, an Illinois mental ward inmate. In May of this year, he was suspected of killing his 8-year-old stepbrother with an ax, but was acquitted of the felony for complex legal reasons. He’s so dangerous that an assistant state’s attorney sent warning letters to 40 different female clebrities. Nau may be released soon. He has followed Olivia Newton-John to Australia twice and Cher to Las Vegas once.

I have a problem with this. If he’s such a threat to theses women, why even talk about releasing him? It’s not just family and friends who have deal with the death of a celebrity, but it’s the people, fans, who have to deal with all this too. Adults should start listening to us. If you’re waiting for the right time, the time is now. Wait any longer and you may lose some more lives, losses that could be prevented. This is our world, and we would like a little of it when you adult are done with it. At this rate, there will be nothing for us to work with, only a world that we’ll have to try to rebuild. Help us dream away their nightmares. I’m just a 17-year-old who’s tired of turning on the television and hearing about another person murdered. I’m probably not the only teen-ager who feels the way I do, but if the death of Miss Schaffer hasn’t made you stop and think, how can we?

Sammie Kachel, is a sophomore at Webster High School.

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