There have been too many....................
There are moments so engraved on your mind that no matter how hard you try ............ you can never forget.
Where were you when you heard?
Where were you when you heard that President Kennedy was shot?
Where were you when you heard about Martin Luther King?
Bobby Kennedy?
Kent State?
John Lennon?
President Reagan?
Oklahoma City?
Columbine?
9/11?
Virginia Tech?
Northern Illinois University?
A mall in Omaha?
A grocery store parking lot in Tuscon?
A theater in Aurora?
A temple in Milwaukee?
A mall in Portland?
So many .... there are so many schools that I have forgotten the names ... I have forgotten the places. But not the shock. The horror. The acknowledgement that evil can be inflicted on so many innocent people.
And Friday ..... there was another.
Sandy Hook.
Some were killed with handguns. Some with rifles. Others with fertilizer bombs and airplanes.
But .... assault weapons with large clips of ammunition have become too common.
And I know .... you will say.... guns don't kill people, people kill people. And you will be right.
We talk about screenings and gun permits. Lately, these weapons have been bought and registered legally.
We talk about the mentally ill ............ unfortunately, mental illness is often diagnosed after the fact.
Until then .... they are just odd. Peculiar. Different.
We used to know who they were. They were talking to themselves in the grocery store. Now that is half the population ... just using their blue tooth!!!!
But maybe the time has come to talk about assault weapons and mega-rounds of ammunition. Because I haven't quite figured out why you need a 30 round clip to kill deer.
It won't be the answer........... but it may be one of many.
Until then ...... we are saying too many prayers. Too many vigils. For too many innocent people.
Where were you when you heard?
Where were you when you heard that President Kennedy was shot?
Where were you when you heard about Martin Luther King?
Bobby Kennedy?
Kent State?
John Lennon?
President Reagan?
Oklahoma City?
Columbine?
9/11?
Virginia Tech?
Northern Illinois University?
A mall in Omaha?
A grocery store parking lot in Tuscon?
A theater in Aurora?
A temple in Milwaukee?
A mall in Portland?
So many .... there are so many schools that I have forgotten the names ... I have forgotten the places. But not the shock. The horror. The acknowledgement that evil can be inflicted on so many innocent people.
And Friday ..... there was another.
Sandy Hook.
Some were killed with handguns. Some with rifles. Others with fertilizer bombs and airplanes.
But .... assault weapons with large clips of ammunition have become too common.
And I know .... you will say.... guns don't kill people, people kill people. And you will be right.
We talk about screenings and gun permits. Lately, these weapons have been bought and registered legally.
We talk about the mentally ill ............ unfortunately, mental illness is often diagnosed after the fact.
Until then .... they are just odd. Peculiar. Different.
We used to know who they were. They were talking to themselves in the grocery store. Now that is half the population ... just using their blue tooth!!!!
But maybe the time has come to talk about assault weapons and mega-rounds of ammunition. Because I haven't quite figured out why you need a 30 round clip to kill deer.
It won't be the answer........... but it may be one of many.
Until then ...... we are saying too many prayers. Too many vigils. For too many innocent people.
Comments
I really don't care what your politics are, this kind of thing sickens us all. As a society, we MUST come up with some viable solutions -- something that will actually make a difference and not just provide a "warm & fuzzy", simply to satisfy a need to do SOMETHING!
While it has certainly become popular in the press to always suggest negating the second amendment and banning a certain type of gun, we really need to set our understandable emotions aside for a moment and think with a clarity of purpose.
There is another emerging pattern that the press largely seems to be intentionally ignoring. Even though these shooters are crazy, virtually everyone of them stops shooting innocent victims when they eventually come face-to-face with an armed "good guy."
In virtually everyone of these senseless massacres, the shooter finally turns the gun on himself when the cops arrive. Certainly that was exactly the case in Connecticut and also in the last 4 or 5 instances I can think of.
Case in point: (see video below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6dsV6TCwd0o
It is like these wackos start shooting innocent people because they know they can get away with it. When that "opportunity" is removed, they stop.
Why is it that we seem quite comfortable having an armed guard in every Social Security Office, but throw a conniption fit when someone suggests providing that same level of protection to our children?
Do I like having to make this kind of choice? Heck no! But I am quite willing to set political ideology aside and STOP THE KILLING.
Ban assault weapons? We tried that for 10 years with the Brady Bill -- it made absolutely no difference in crime statistics. So what ... our default response is to mandate (again) something that we have already proven does not work?
It seems simply irresponsible to insist upon ignoring the fact that we need to begin to address the mental instability aspect of this problem. Clearly, in most of these cases there have been visible, troubling precursors of pending doom. Yet, as a society we have refused to address this mental health issue.
We all need to put our political positions aside and seek out truly effective solutions. Our kids and grandkids are depending upon us.
Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee 12 -years after the Columbine shootings. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. It is a speech he has been giving for years now… it never varies much because Darrell Scott speaks from the heart. It also isn’t a speech that our government and progressive leaders were expecting.
They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well, but it needs to be heard. These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating. moving and deeply personal. The following is a portion of the transcript:
Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart.
In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA – because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent.
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question “Why?”
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.
What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties.
We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA — I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”
Darrell Scott