On Friday December 14, there was another school shooting, this time in Newtown, Connecticut. News reports say that it is the worst school shooting in history; other reports write that it's the second worst. Either way, twenty-eight people are dead, twenty of them, children.
This is horrifically sad...and crazy. When will this stop?
I know that there are people who say that "guns don't kill people, people kill people." This may be true; people do kill others. And I know that the N.R.A. wants to protect Americans' right to own guns. But really, who the hell needs a semi-automatic .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle, a weapon that msn.com lists as a "lethal rifle originally designed for use in combat," capable of shooting up to six bullets per second. (See article at http://now.msn.com/sandy-hook-shooting-weapon-was-223-caliber-rifle-designed-for-combat ) Apparently, the shooter took this, and the two handguns, from his mother's house, and killed her before going to the school and killing 26 others, then himself. Democracy is about allowing one to have a different point of view from his or her neighbor, as long as you're not hurting, killing, maiming another, so being a member of the N.R.A. is legally allowed. But, really, if one is a member of the N.R.A., how would one ethically defend the right of John Q. Public to own something designed for modern battle? What's next, allowing nuclear warheads?
Okay, that might be far-fetched, but where do we draw the line? And is one's right to own certain weapons more important than the rights of twenty eight people, including twenty children? I think not.
Back to the school: According to Leslie Gunn, an art teacher for Sandy Hook Elementary School for 17 years, "It was a regular day. It was a beautiful day (before the shooting)." (Taken from the Hartford Courant; see article at http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-newtown-sandy-hook-school-shooting-20121214,0,5043872.story .)
A regular day. A beautiful day. This is frequently how the day is described before all hell breaks loose, whether an attack like the September 11, 2001 attack, or a school shooting.
As a nation, we grieve for the loss of life, especially when it is on a large scale or involves children. This horrible shooting involved both.
If you have children, hug them. Tell them you love them. Let those around you know you care.
And for those in Newtown, Connecticut, a nation cries with you.
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