Today I am in mourning for the innocent children slaughtered at the school in Newtown, Connecticut by an armed maniac. How many children have to die before we do something to stop weapons getting into the hands of lunatics? My heart goes out to the mothers and fathers of the children who died and to all those who survived. This morning at the breakfast table I surfed the internet looking for news, watching video on the killings with tears streaming down my face. When my children awoke I quickly wiped off the tears and closed my computer. I was ashamed to tell them that in the United States of America innocent children risk their lives going to school, a movie or a shopping mall. The United States has the political will to hunt down Osama Bin Laden, but we don’t have the will to stop the murder and bloodshed inflicted by our own people on our own children at home. In the United States just about anyone can buy a gun and go shoot up whoever they want, and when the shooting stops we all cry and wring our hands until the next massacre happens. It is time to do something to stop this.
Trisha, Thank you for this piece of writing. Such a sad day, and even sadder that we have allowed this to happen again and again.
Martha
It is such a tragedy and casts a terrible shadow over us all as we head into the holiday season. How can we celebrate joyfully when these innocent children got gunned down at school. We must do something to stop this.
Amen, Trisha. Amen.
And the scars from this will live in the surviving children all their lives. The worst acts of terror that we face are at home, not from abroad. And in 2012 handguns killed more than three times the number who died at the World Trade Towers. And . . . and . . . and . . . who will lead us?
Thank you Nancy. Yes, your question is key…who will lead us? I have come to the conclusion that our leaders have zero political willpower when it comes to standing up to the gun lobby. How many children have to be killed before they find the courage. I think we have to lead from the bottom on this one.
Trish I so agree with you…our politics are getting the way of reason…read Joan Vennochi today in the Globe. I did suspect that the shooter was a “harmless” aubergEes victim who was taken for granted
Thank you Penny — I will try to find Joan’s article on-line. I feel so strongly that for the lives of our children we all have to put politics aside and act fast.
Trisha, I am in Australia and we are collectively mourning this unspeakable loss as well.
In 1996, a gunman in this country shot and killed 36 people at a popular tourist site. They were just going about their Sunday, sightseeing and spending time with their families. The government took the decision to immediately ban semi-automatic weapons. An amnesty was declared and people with these firearms had a limited time to hand them in. This had the full support of the population who could not believe that this could happen here.
My point in mentioning the above is that it takes the courage of governments to rise above political lobby groups such as the NRA and make tough and unpopular decisions.
I hope the present US government has this courage.
Kathy– Thank you for mentioning this incident in Australia. That is very interesting and gives me hope that with a little political will in the States something can be done. I think President Obama has been extremely weak in standing up to the National Rifle Association. In the campaign I felt he was almost bending over backwards to defend our second amendment to the constitution “the right to bear arms.” Now I think maybe he has understood that this cannot go on. And if he hasn’t understood, I am sure Michelle has.
There is so much to say – but on the subject of gun control, Trisha, I am with you. Tighter laws would mean better control. Society can not stop the most determined among us, but surely we can do better than this.
I am both disappointed and disturbed by the power of the NRA. With four million dues paying members, it is a wealthy and effective organization. It spends a large part of its revenue mailing info to its members. However, it really represents the gun makers. Why its members do not understand that is a mystery to me. Wayne La Pierre, the head of the NRA makes one $970,00 per annum. Imagine that. I’d say he has blood on his hands. The NRA has been silent all week, save to tell us that on Friday it “is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”
And for those who would talk about Second Amendment rights, I would refer folks to this enlightening post by Jeffrey Toobin.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/12/jeffrey-toobin-second-amendment.html
Thank you, I think the more of us speak out on the necessity of gun control the better right now.
All the gun laws in the world will not stop lunatics from finding one when they want to. Didn’t stop the slaughter in Finland a few years ago.
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/european-union
Thanks for your comment Barbara. I think you are talking about the Breivik Massacre in Norway, and on that one you are right– Norway has much tighter gun laws than the United States and a lunatic still got his hand on enough to kill 77 people. But I disagree with you on the gun laws. I am convinced that if we had much tighter controls on access to guns– as they do in Italy– there would be many less of these horrible massacres that we have had in the US in the past year.
so incredibly sad, as a mother I could never live in a country that allows this to happen xxx
It is so sad and as an American mother I think it is time that we mothers do something about it.
I agree with Barbara… It is not in controlling the guns that this will be taken care of. Granted I have been raised in the Mid West Illinois and guns are apart of life. I have never owned one and only shot a gun once on a range. We have a constitution that gives us the right to bare arms and we have had way too many rights already taken away. If a criminal wants a gun most of them do not go thru normal steps to get it. How many of these shooters have their fire arm card??? My heart goes out to all of the families and I too cried when I watched the whole thing unfold that day…but if someone wants a gun bad enough they will get it. In my opinion no one needs a semi automatic… not a hunting gun, but that is a whole other issue.
Cathy
Thank you for your comment Catherine. I think it is important that we are all talking about the problem and trying to find ways that the tragedy that happened in Newtown will never happen again. We must do that for the innocent children.
From: Yvonne Ruth Onions
Subject: Obama’s fight against arms
Message Body:
Dear Mrs. Barack,
I live in Italy and arms are really difficult to get hold of. We are really shocked at the familiarity Americans have with arms and I personally would like to do something to help the President overcome this problem. All I can think of is suggesting that Europeans can sign a petition well publicised online in many languages the translated into English pleading with American citizens to give up their arms and understand why it is so important.. Perhaps some good propaganda in TV would help the American people realise what real freedom is. A wonderful example is Berlin, a really young, green , modern and accepting of all kinds city.Going around in a car or taxi is almost frowned upon. They ride bikes and walk and all look pretty fit and happy! Even Paris, Rome ,Madrid and Vienna could be documented and shown on TV. There are such wonderful “free” areas in Europe that one can walk or ride around with one’s family or friends.Never worryiong about shootups. Mayde the “Old Continent” has some wisdom to share?It’s all a question of attitude towards violence. But this you know. Too many others don’t.
I love you and the President and your delightful girls. Good luck in changing America for a New World.You’re the world’s example and that is why it is so important that you succeed!
Kindest Regards
Yvonne
The above comment I believe is directed to Michelle Obama. I wish I could say that Michelle reads my blog, but I highly doubt she does, nevertheless the comment is very thoughtful and useful. I wish Michelle would read it. The US could definitely learn some lessons from the “Old Continent”.