Mass shootings should not be accepted as normal
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| Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash |
You need to know that I am a System & Standards kind of guy; I work within the parameters specified by the system and standards I have accepted as valid and reasonable. If there is a problem, then I will proceed to labor either toward solving it with what the S&Ss provide or, if proven inadequate, I will work hard to improve these guidelines.
All this to say that I accept and uphold our Constitution and Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment.
I do not have enough money to be a guns enthusiast, but I am a responsible, law-abiding gun owner.
Now, I do not subscribe to the idea that my owning a Springfield XD and having about 200 rounds at my disposal represent any significant deterrent to a dictatorial government's evil schemes - have you seen an M1 Abrams?! Owning a gun for protection? Yes, but even that scenario is distant from my daily reality.
Then, why do I own a firearm? Because it is an expression of personal freedom. Freedom secured and warrantied by the System & Standards that define these, the USA.
But here comes my conundrum: as it stands right now, this freedom is allowing way too much pain and suffering.
Making guns illegal will not resolve the problem because it is a human problem and not an equipment problem. Setting gun control laws that trample on our Second Amendment will only give us a false sense of accomplishment; they will allow us to feel good because "we have done something" while sweeping the human problem under the rug.
I believe that while we keep working on improving the S&Ss, there are two things we can do right now to combat this expression of violence:
One, we can care for one another. We can invest deeply in getting to know those around us - yes, that includes parents knowing their children well - being sensitive to the needs of the lonely, the angry, the dishearted; nobody should be invisible; we should strive to make a place for those who are out of place. Two, we should not accept mass shootings as the norm, as the price we must pay for our freedom. More specifically, let us not answer with statistics, cold numbers or the traditional "guns don't kill people..."
Let's show compassion to those whose lives have been destroyed by this particular type of violence. Let us not give even the smallest room to any kind of racism. Let us speak loudly against anything that stains this beautiful System and these extraordinary Standards.
What do you think?
-AV
As I sit here writing this response, I am listening to the news of a shooting at an elementary school in Texas where 21 are dead, 19 of which are children. My heart is broken...as a mother of elementary school-aged children I am all too aware that this could have been their school, and they could have been one of the 19. I could have been one of the parents finding out that my child will not be coming home. As a citizen of this country, who loves and believes in it, I am at a loss. Something must be done. But what? It is, once again, a subject which has been politicized by both parties, and neither party has managed to actually solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteI am going to speak honestly and openly (and likely at my own risk)...I don't understand why law-abiding and responsible gun owners are worried about having stricter gun laws in place. I don't have a problem with other people owning guns, but I do have a problem with loose regulations and loopholes surrounding the acquisition of fire arms for people who do not meet the criteria for being able to own a gun responsibly.
I actually think that people in both parties are correct...guns kill people, AND people kill people. If both of those statements are true, then why must we continue to see the other side as being wrong? If both statements are true, then there is a lot of room for improvement. Yes, we can adhere to the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms AND make mental Healthcare more accessible/affordable/destigmatizing/etc. Yes, we can have a system for determining whether or not it is appropriate for someone to own a gun. Yes, we can improve public services (Public Health/education/community resources/church involvement/drug and substancie use programs/poverty/etc.). And yes, poeple who own guns responsibly (or who want to own guns responsibly) can continue to do so.
At the end of the day, what it all bolis down to for us, as a nation, as a collective body of citizens with much diversity in beliefs and ideologies, is that we must talk to each other, and we must be willing to listen. WE must be willing to put aside our pride and come to the table with the purpose of seeking to understand the other side. I WANT to understand why people who own guns may fear that right being taken from them. And I also WANT to be understood. That can only happen if we show up and if we listen, consider other people's conserns, and then find the common ground.
This morning, I didn't go through the drive-thru drop-off line like I normally do when I drop my kids off at school. Today, I parked the car and walked my kids up to the front doors of their schools. And I squatted down to their level, and I embraced each of them closely. And I told them each that I loved them so much. Because they are precious. And they deserve better. They deserve to be safe in their schools. They deserve to be more than a potential casualty of our nation's pride and inability to get along. And as their parent, it must start with me. So, here I am. I have spoken. Please, others, I want to hear you, and I want to be heard. And I want things to be better. So speak here. Be heard here.