As I sit here on a dreary Monday, thinking about what to
write, my mind keeps going back to this past Friday and how I sat and watched
television for hours on end, hoping to find out something that would make the
story easier to digest, better than we all thought.
It was well into the evening, after we had eaten dinner and
were settled in for the night, when my husband asked me if we could please
change the channel. I reluctantly agreed
but once in the thrall of my favorite cooking show, realized that I needed the
change. Why had I continued watching
television coverage all day, not realizing that the one thing I wanted to know
would never be revealed? What was it
that I was waiting for?
When I thought about it, the answer to that question was
“why.”
I wanted someone to report on why this had happened.
Well, we all know better.
There is no why. There will never
be answers.
For some reason, I didn’t feel scared sending child #2 off
to school today. Yes, I believe that
there will be copycats out there who want to best this villain in the twisted
game of who did the most damage; I don’t know when that will be or where but I
am confident that until we take “meaningful action,” it will happen again. But doesn’t it seem like we are hearing of
one shooting after another, week after week, with more lives lost than ever
before?
This is now a bipartisan issue. I don’t think any one of us,
despite of who we voted for in the most recent election, can say that it should
be very, very difficult to buy an assault weapon and the ammunition needed to
do the damage that a gun like that can do. I don’t care what you think of
Democrats or Republicans or Independents, but we all must agree that something
needs to be done.
That’s all I have to say because words fail me at a time
like this.
Please accept my warm wishes and blessings to you and yours
during this holiday season. Maggie
yes, Maggie, it's the why we look for and never find. Like you, I think we've passed the point of partisan politics. I have family in Oklahoma who still hunt to put food on the table. I don't want to take away their guns. BUT they don't use assault weapons and semi-automatics or handguns. No one is hunting deer or protecting their isolated home with an AK-47. I think we need to make those kinds of weapons and ammunition available only to the military and police, the entities they were originally designed for.
ReplyDeleteWe demand a test to show skill competency, an age limit, certain physical exams, and proof of insurance to allow car ownership. I think we should ask similar things for gun ownership (with mental health replacing physical/vision).
With these two systems in place, we can have realistic gun control and those who want their guns for hunting or protection can still have them--if they show they know how to safely use and store them.
Happy Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanza/Solstice/whatever midwinter holiday you celebrate to all of you!
We definitely need some changes, but for now we wait. Happy and peaceful Holidays.
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