As I am watching the news today on it is a story about a new organization One Million Mom for Gun Control. They are organizing a rally to influence policy as it pertains to gun legislation. Good works I thought; enough madness and mayhem with the guns at the expense of innocents. So much heartache for those left behind.
Then my mind went to that mom of the disturbed young man that massacred all those kids and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut. What were her thoughts? According to news reports she had voiced concerns about her son getting worst, and her losing control of him. I don’t know how much or if any of that is true. My question is, did she really have a mentally ill child living right alongside a cabinet full of guns in her home. And if so, what was she thinking?
During this week a gun, plus a flare gun, were found in the backpack of a young child at school. He passed it onto another child. One report had the mom putting the guns in the child’s bag. Another insinuated that he had a 21 and 27 year old brothers so they might have been the culprit. Yet another stated that it is not clear how these guns had gotten into a 7 year old child’s school bag. What the hell is going on? And where was school security?
The pisser is of the two women who were the faces of this Million Mom organization on the news show today, one has been around guns all her life, a hunter. The other is an ex-marine who lost a son and nephew to gun violence. They were both comfortable with guns and being around guns. Now, this ought to be interesting!
PR
1/20/2013
Hmm. America is out of control when it comes to guns, I think. Some people are way too passionate about weapons over there, and can never tell you why without just spouting the constitution and that’s it.
I heard an argument the other day about putting armed guards in schools which sounds ridiculous to people in other countries where we go to school without guards and get home just fine. Doesn’t it seem odd to Americans that they want / need / have them?
I wonder what will happen in the next few years.
Armed guards in school fits into the gun lobbyists answer to all violent events involving a gun. More guns for further mayhem. There àre security guards already in the schools. Kids don’t need to be further desensitized to guns by being around them all day in school. And you’re right. Some do have a very weird unnatural obsession with a weapon that takes a life so finally.
It’s a complex issue that, for me, reduces down to a culture of violence and paranoia. Guns are the most impersonal and efficient way to rid oneself of a perceived “nuisance” and a whole lot of Americans define a whole lot of other live beings (people and animals) as out to get them. It’s embedded in our culture and it’s tragic.
But “culture” is people–we create it and recreate it, so we can change it. But will we? You’re right. This will be interesting. But I’m afraid we haven’t seen the last of the horrific gun violence over here.
Change is a funny thing, if it’s not facilitated and there is no motivation, and each person’s motivation is different, then change will not occur. My hope is that collectively as a society we will chose to head down that road. And not treat this problem of ours with gun as if we have all the time in the world to seriously address it. Because in the meantime people are dying.
So very true. We must have the will to change. Some people sure have the will to keep things just as they are!