While we grieve as a city, we ask questions and demand explanations, but they may not come for days, weeks, or even months. They may never come.
The families directly affected grieve in a way we can't understand, with hearts so broken that they may never heal. They have holes in their lives and in their souls tonight that will never again be filled by anything more than memories.
We don't know what to do, what might help, so we offer thoughts and prayers. Yes, it's good to show that we care, but those thoughts and prayers won't bring back those stolen lives, and they won't prevent more losses in the future.
So what do we do?
Many will continue to pray. Others will demand that we do things such as arm teachers or place armed guards in our schools. However, are more guns really the answer? We already have more than 393 million guns in the United States. That breaks down to more than 1.2 guns per person. Our military only has 4.5M, and our law enforcement agencies have a little more than 1M.
We are, in all honesty, outgunned.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Violence begets violence; hate begets hate; and toughness begets a greater toughness. It is all a descending spiral, and the end is destruction — for everybody. Along the way of life, someone must have enough sense and morality to cut off the chain of hate."
And for those turning to prayer, there is Matthew 26:52. "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
Until we acknowledge that gun violence is now the number one killer of our children and teenagers, and pledge to take active measures to change that, there's not much we can do. We, as a nation, are "living by the gun," and our children are dying by it.
And now, because I have had the audacity to even think of gun reform, many will jump up and scream about the constitutional rights set forth by our founding fathers. So, let me share with you the words of Thomas Jefferson, one of those founding fathers.
Jefferson wrote: “Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human, and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment. I knew that age well; I belonged to it, and labored with it. It deserved well of its country.
“I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions. I think moderate imperfections had better be borne with; because, when once known, we accommodate ourselves to them, and find practical means of correcting their ill effects.
“Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”
I am thankful for the rights our founding fathers fought so hard for us to have, as well as for those who continue to fight so that we may remain free, but times have changed. We no longer require a "well-regulated militia" of citizens bearing arms to keep us safe. That is what we have tasked our military and law enforcement officials to do. Jefferson foresaw the possible need to change our Constitution as we changed as a nation. Why can't we see that?
I do not advocate we abolish gun ownership or anything even remotely that severe. However, until we honestly reform our gun laws and advocate for responsible gun ownership, as well as better mental health care, we will continue to descend the spiral toward destruction.
What we are currently teaching our children is that worrying about dying in school, where they should feel safe, is normal. It's not. Solving problems with shootouts in the streets shouldn't be considered normal behavior either, but how often do we see it now?
By doing nothing, we are normalizing fear, hatred, ignorance, bigotry, racism, and violence for our children. Then we cry and gnash our teeth when they respond with those very things. We offer thoughts and prayers, but we do nothing real. They say "children are our future," but look at the future we're giving them.
Please, do something to save our children.
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Note: One of the things we can do to help our children is to talk to them when bad things happen. This Sesame Street video may help you do that.
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