In remembrance of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings
The purpose of having a blog, I assume, is so that we as Americans can exercise our First Amendment right to freely express ourselves and receive feedback from those who are interested in reading what’s on our minds. I have to admit that some of those who respond can be downright nasty in their responses, and also I have to admit that there have been times where I have been a little sensitive towards some of those responses. Today, I don’t care what the responders say. It’s not because I don’t care about them and their opinions about my opinions, because I do. But on this occasion, my sadness and respective anger supersede my personal offenses. Today I don’t care. This is not about me. This one is for the kids.
To the 20 children who lost their lives at the average age of 6.2-years-old: Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6); Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7); Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6); Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7); Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6); Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6); Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6); Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6); Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7); Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6); James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6); Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7); Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6); Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6); Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6); Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6); Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6); Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6); Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6); Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6); and to the 6 adults: Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29); Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47); Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52); Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29); Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56); Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27) [1]; to each of you I send my most sincerest love and respect, and for your family and friends and all others who are sharing your grief, my sincerest of condolences.
I will not name the murderer, for he does not rate that kind of respect. He is nothing. He is no one except the man who took the lives of 27 people, 20 of whom were 6.2-year-old children [2]. I don’t care if he was a genius, or whether or not he suffered from mental illness [2], or what his motivations were. I don’t care. He is no better than a pedophile, with the exception that he took more than their innocence; he took their lives.
What is unfortunate is that if we as a nation survive the prediction of the Mayans, this will not be the last time this will happen. Our recent history has given us murderers that we have looked upon with pity, wonder, and in some cases reverence. They have been the subjects of study, have had books written about them, have had movies made for them, and have been the focus of documentaries, but we hardly ever remember the victims, with few exceptions, for example, Sharon Tate and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona [3]. I hope no one forgets these children and the six women who died trying to protect them.
As Americans, we have to do something. I have never understood the fascination with guns. These are the true weapons of mass destruction, for they not only destroy the limbs, organs, and lives of its victims, but the lives of those who love them. I don’t expect the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution to be amended. I don’t expect the Sovereign States to change their legislation for the carrying and concealing of guns and/or their stances in regard to who can have weapons. Sure, they may make it mandatory for those citizens who are allowed to carry to take a few more classes, but that may be the extent of it. No, I don’t expect the government to do anything major.
I don’t expect the NRA to back off and I don’t expect big money to stop trying to scare people with their corporate media push for civil war from the American people.
No it’s time for We the People to step up to the plate. I realize that if sense were common, everyone would have it, and that sadly we all don’t. But we may be forced to come up with a solution to our problems, and soon. How many more children have to die before we realize that its time to put the toys away?
I’ve heard all the arguments. Guns are supposed to be used for protection (of property according the 2nd Amendment), but what good does it do if one person pulls his/her weapon first? The one who has the weapon pulled on them would only be a fool to pull theirs. More often than not, the likelihood of that individual being shot is great, and may cause other damage to innocent bystanders. At the same time, if the one who pulls the weapon does nothing and is shot while departing, well, that’s premeditated murder.
I have a solution. If you feel the need to protect yourself, learn how to fight. Take a few classes, and step up your game. Travel in packs instead of traveling alone. If you feel the world is that dangerous, stay in the house. And if you just have to have a gun, buy one and keep only enough ammunition to protect your house in case of an intrusion.
I know that these are not valid solutions, because the world is a dangerous place. We need to find another way though. There have been 61 mass shootings in 30 years [4], 19 of which have occurred in the past five years [5]. The casualties have been numerous, leaving 116 murdered and 53 wounded since 2009 [4]. And that doesn’t include the spree of various murders in Chicago [6] and other urban areas, not to mention murders in the vein of Treyvon Martin, Jordan Davis, and Darius Simmons [7].
I know that as Americans, we have the right to bear arms, but does that mean we should? The 2nd Amendment was ratified in 1791 [8]. Times were different then. According to most Americans (myself included), we live in the greatest country on Earth. That country should have the best police force, criminal justice system and legislation for its people. It is only a suggestion, but let’s put the guns back into the systems’ hands and pray they do the right thing. We as common people have to return to the human element. We have to think beyond our own families and think bigger, because if we don’t, the next child taken from us might be our own.
References
1. MSN, (2012). Names of victims in Connecticut shooting released. MSN News, December 15, 2012. Retrieved from: http://news.msn.com/...
2. Candiotti, S. and Aarthun, S., (2012). Police: 20 children among 26 victims of Connecticut school shooting. CNN December 15, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/...
3. Lacey, M. and Herszenhorn, D.M., (2011). In Attack’s Wake, Political Repercussions. New York Times, January 8, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/...
4. Shen, A (2012). 61 in 30 Years: A Timeline of Mass Shootings
in America. Altnet, Think Progress December 15, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.alternet.org/...
5. Wing, N. and Hall, K., (2012). Mass Shootings: After 19 In Five Years, Many Thoughts And Prayers, No Real Answers. Huffington Post, December 15, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
6. Kirkwood, C., (2012). Chicago’s Murders for 2012 Likely to Exceed 2011. The New American, July 26, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.thenewamerican.com/...
7. Kane, E., (2012). Florida case reveals race still an issue. The Milwaukee Journal, December 8, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.jsonline.com/...
8. Laws.com (2012). An Overview of the 2nd Amendment. Retrieve from: http://constitution.laws.com/...