First of all, my heart is breaking for the families that lost loved ones today. Especially those kids who were taken before they had a chance at life. I'm sitting here with my 10 year old nephew and I couldn't even imagine losing him. I can't even begin to understand how those families feel and what they are going to be going through.
But the things I'm seeing....honestly..I don't understand. This was a sick individual. This was a person who was suffering emotionally obviously. Does it give him the right to do what he did? NO. Absolutely not. But it was HIM and his sickness that did this. Do you REALLY think that stricter gun laws would have prevented this? NO. Because people like that don't CARE about gun laws. And if you force the rest of us to have our right to protect ourselves and our families taken away, the ONLY people that are going to have guns are people like this-with no regard for the law in the first place. They don't care....they will get access to them..because right and wrong doesn't mean the same to them. You're just going to leave us defenseless against them. How is that going to solve anything? Do you think it's going to be harder for them to get their hands on weapons? If you do, you're mistaken. Our police have historically been outgunned-because criminals have no boundaries-and our police have guidelines. And if this person didn't have access to a gun, do you think he still wouldn't have acted violently? It just would have been a different weapon.
The problem is not GUNS-the problem is our society's lack of consequences for our actions. It's from parent's lack of paying attention to their kids. It's from being so nonchalant about violence in general. Huge massacres like this happen and everyone gets upset...but people, CHILDREN are killed every day. By abusive parents, by drunk drivers, by other CHILDREN with weapons OTHER than guns. The problem is not the weapons, it's our lack of instilling in our kids that there are punishments for their actions. But it doesn't stop there. There is a general lack of consequence for breaking rules EVERYWHERE. Why are there people out on the street that have 20+ DUI's? And why do they still have cars..and licenses? Why do people that are convicted of assault with deadly weapons just get probation? What incentive is there for us to obey the laws and rules that are in place now? And do you really think that making more laws and rules is going to change that? It's not. Changing the consequences will. KEEPING these people off the streets will. TEACHING your children right from wrong will.
And also, how about paying attention and learning the signs and symptoms of mental illness? How about paying attention enough to know when someone isn't acting right. Pay attention to the people you love-watch for warning signs! Sometimes all it takes is letting a person know you are there for them. This was a very sick individual. Someone who was hurting and snapped. Could it have been prevented? We'll never know. But we tend to ignore things...thinking it will just go away rather than get involved. BE KIND. Don't judge people. Look for warning signs....and if you're not sure....talk to someone about it!
I'm disgusted by what happened today. I'm heartbroken for those families. I'm saying many prayers for all of the victims...and the survivors. I can't imagine what the surviving kids are going to go through either. We are not programmed to see violence like that at any age...but at such a young age...the loss of innocence....it's so sad.
1 comment:
Well written! I think part of the problem isn't necessarily ignoring the warning signs or not noticing them. I do think that we have been trained as a society to sit around and wait for someone else to say something, do something, take action. I think these days people have forgotten all about taking care of our neighbors. It isn't just Christmas cards! It means knocking on someone's door on a Tuesday afternoon and asking what you can do to help. These days we sit around, gossip, and wait for some "agency" or "governmental body" to step in.
It is time to stop waiting for someone else to solve our problems and start helping ourselves and each other.
Again, very well written post, Chani! Thanks for sharing!
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