The Never Ending Story of Gun Violence
Posted on December 14, 2012
It’s been 12 hours since my surgery, and the proper pain meds are now making me lazy. Yes, I write when I’m feeling bored. If you read it, not sure what that is saying about my followers, but I have a lot of random thoughts on my mind right now.
When I came to in recovery, the pain was (to me) nearly unendurable. After a couple of hours and lots of IV drugs, I was taken up to a private room. I was waiting for my husband, who had not been allowed in yet. My O2 sats were pretty stinky, and they wanted those stabilized first. I had no phone or computer at that point, but didn’t care. There was, (of course this is America) a TV in the room. I opted to leave that off too. But it did not prevent me from hearing two men talking just outside my door about what happened in Newtown, CT. Hearing that someone went into an elementary school and murdered children seemed too wicked. I hoped it was the meds, but it wasn’t.
My mind immediately went to my little daughter who hated practicing “Code Red” at her school. When my husband came in, we were glued to the news, as was most of the nation. What parent did not imagine the horror of those little ones last moments? I know that my daughter expected that those drills would keep her safe. She once told me, “If a bad guy comes to my school with a gun, I would use my ninja powers and kill HIM.” At the time I just encouraged her and told her she was very brave. What point is there in telling kids to huddle in a corner? It’s like the drills my husband did as a child, sitting under a wooden school test in case of nuclear attack.
If an outrageous excuse for a human being decides to wield a gun, he will beat a child, a school teacher, an ex-girlfriend, temple worshipers, church worshipers, mall shoppers, theater attendees…anyone they wish. Every state in our nation now allows for some form of concealed carry, which gun rights activists say will keep us safer, as they will whip out their weapon and destroy the slayer. It’s bull shit. I knew two of the young men who survived the NIU Valentine’s Day shooting. They are kind, honorable and yet in the moment when someone was killing their classmates, their only thought was to survive. These two brothers were forced to pull each other along over dead students. People on both sides of the gun rights argument make valid points, but they all pale when our children are screaming in terror for their mommies and daddies while their teacher’s son attacks them.
I did not decide to homeschool my daughter because I feared an attack at her school. While she attended, I did bring up the lack of security. There was no view of the front door from the school office, no buzzer to be buzzed in, no cameras. But it doesn’t matter. Kids always open doors for grown ups. And this insanely cruel man was known to the school because his mom taught there. They let him in. I’m blaming no one, but like all of you, looking for some kind of answer. I hope President Obama makes good on finally taking action.
To anyone who feels a gun keeps you safer, I pity you. Teach your children that peace is the only way to endure. If you insist on the sacred past time of hunting, there are work arounds. You don’t need automatic weapons to hunt down a deer or duck.
The pain from my surgery will subside on Dec. 21st when I go back in for a second procedure. The pain of our nation not protecting it’s children and that of those who lose loved ones to violence–it will never end.
6:30 PM PT: I hope our nation will support the innocent brother of the gunman. He took his brother's ID, making sure that young man was first reported as the murderer. He lost his mom at his brother's hand, and perhaps more than any other person in the nation needs our support.