My children are 18, 22 and 25 yet I rushed to hear their voices on my cell phone and cried again knowing that mothers in Newtown, Connecticut would never see a simple milestone like a seventh birthday.
It became unbearable when television news finally put faces to the families and names to the deceased. Those innocent children. The teachers and principals who were immediate heroes.
And then. I was hearing them talk about school safety... metal detectors at the doors, locks on the windows, safe rooms in each wing... Making schools like mini-prisons?
I wanted to scream and say: GET RID OF THE GUNS NOW.
How many more?
And yes, the appropriate discussions about helping those with mental illnesses. Of course. And still whether you are getting everyone the help they need or not... GET RID OF THE GUNS NOW.
Yes. Get them out of the house. Isn't it obvious?
What will those Newtown and Sandy Hook families do with the unopened Christmas and Hanukkah presents?
How will they feel when they do the laundry of children who will never wear their clothing again. Will they ever EVER be able to look at their children's favorite cereal, hear their favorite songs, walk past that playground without crying.
Will the kids who survived become broken?
What good are our prayers and broken hearts and Facebook messages of concern right now? Maybe they help us get through this a little bit more easily. But they don't help those families and they don't stop the next guy.
GET RID OF THE GUNS NOW.
I feel like I can't move, I feel like I can't breathe. I hope that the rest of the country feels the same way. Will this FINALLY be our nation's wake-up call?
GET RID OF THE GUNS NOW.
December 22 Additional Note: It's been one week since I wrote this, and it's still getting readers. Good. I don't feel much better since posting this, and I hope you don't either. The NRA has spoken up now, after a few polite days of silence, and said, basically, let's arm the good guys to combat the bad guys. More guns are NOT the answer. If you agree, please let your elected politicians know how you feel and don't let this go. Don't let those children and teachers have lost their lives without us making a change to honor their memories.
jb
Got to this post a little late, but really one of the better things I have read on the massacre. Rather than clicking "like" on Facebook to send a prayer for one of the fallen children, each of us needs to affirm that we will not vote for any politician who refuses to support a ban on semi-automatic weapons and large capacity magazines.
ReplyDeleteIf my blog does not make you want to take a stand, maybe the words of Noah Pozner's mother, Veronique, will.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/168707/wrestling-with-details-of-noah-pozners-killing/