WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN
The senseless slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School devastated the nation and the world. A tragedy in every sense of the word heartfelt prayers and the love of millions everywhere go out to the victims’ families and the loved ones of the perpetrator.
When the young die it’s so very hard to accept. Children are our future, our greatest hope. Their loss is incalculable and will stay with us forever. We will never forget them and the stories of their individual lives are celebrated as we mourn and remember them as they lived not how they died. COMPLETE LIST OF VICTIMS' NAMES
We are also humbled by the teachers and other heroes who died protecting their students proving that in the end evil is a passing thing yet the love, sacrifice and basic good of human beings will live on forever inspiring us and restoring our hope in the future. The witness of their very lives turned out to be their greatest and most lasting lesson.
Violence will continue and tragedies will happen again, but we need to examine why this attack and other murders occurred and prudently do what we can to prevent and mitigate them.
Our children are our most precious resource and we must protect them
It is abundantly clear that we have to address mental health needs more effectively so families and persons facing these challenges have our support and access to affordable and quality care with sufficient support systems.
Most importantly we must work on changing the very culture of our society that values vice over virtue, thinks everything is relative, and does not respect the dignity or intrinsic value of human life. We cannot do this with legislation but through an examination of our national conscience in the light of objective truth using reason to restore a moral foundation valuing life, liberty and justice.
It’s also time to examine the role weapons played in this tragedy.
At long last it’s time for gun responsibility in America.
I don't believe in knee jerk laws but I support well thought out and reasonable legislation. This is not about partisanship or ideology.
Understand I am not a fan of big government or big business and I value civil liberties. Laws should be necessary, effective and just.
Like many in Michigan and the US I was raised with guns, hunting and shooting( I drop the g sometimes when I hear Sarah Palin and pick up my Dad’s UP brogue) but we learned to respect guns and no one ever used them for criminal purposes or to fool around. I fired a twelve gauge at 9 and still have that popped out vein in my arm as a reminder. We KNEW they weren’t toys and you DIDN’T FOOL AROUND WITH THEM.
There is a right to bear arms but we need responsible regulation and constitutionally courts have ruled machine guns, grenades and bazookas are illegal to own or highly regulated for common sense reasons and banning assault weapons is a logical extension of that policy.
The ban that expired was a WEAK law that banned the future manufacturing and importation of specific assault weapons but really took none away from anyone and expired. This time it should be well crafted and reasonable. Current owners may be, probably will be, grandfathered in.
No private citizen needs such firepower. By the way if you think owning them will protect you if our government goes rogue--think again. Assault weapons would not help you.
OK let’s examine any possible situations where a reasonable American citizen would truly NEED assault weapons.
Zombie apocalypse use shot guns. Martians invade sneeze on them (it worked for H.G. Wells and even Orson). Werewolf outbreak get silver bullets (pretty pricey now though). Vampires in the neighborhood pick up some wooded stakes and a crossbow.
You could also just call a Catholic. Heck with all of the crucifixes in our home, including around my neck, a good supply of holy water and all the garlic we eat any self respecting vampires would avoid our house like a plague. Make sure though you get an actual Catholic who believes in the Real Presence and all key doctrine or you may end up with one of those I’m personally opposed to Vampires but I support their right to increase the undead population and then you’re in even worse trouble. It’s not the cross but the faith in its power that scares them.
As for Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers they seem immune to firepower and never made sense to me except as the nightmares of Hollywood nihilists whose own fears are indestructible.
I digress, but anyone who REALLY thinks they need these weapons is living in a fantasy land.
After we bury our dead let the gun debate begin with civility, principle and reason.
There is far more that unites us as a nation than what divides us. Protecting our children from harm should top the list!
