Upon learning about the mass shooting of 20 children
and 6 adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, I had no words.
Now I’m saying that U.S. residents must have a
conversation about guns.
My conversation starter: Why is it necessary for
nonmilitary people to have assault weapons? Seriously!
I read that Nancy Lanza, mother of alleged shooter
20-year-old Adam Lanza, was a gun enthusiast who taught her sons to shoot. Were
her guns, which included a rifle, locked away so her son couldn’t access them?
If not, why not? Was Adam Lanza treated for his psychological issues? If not,
why not?
Often I hear the argument from gun advocates that
guns don’t shoot people, people shoot people. Also, if guns are banned, only
criminals will have guns, they assert. Well, to my knowledge, Adam Lanza wasn’t
a criminal until he shot 26 people, plus his mother and, finally, himself.
Yes, I believe we need a meaningful dialogue about
gun safety and gun control. Not only must we talk, but we must listen to each
other – and do something.
With a shooting this week at a shopping mall outside
Portland, Oregon, and a reported shooting in an Orange County, California,
mall, we are in strange days.
Writing Diva
