Today I didn’t wake up and savor my coffee. I didn’t enjoy the commotion the way I usually do – my family chattering, pets begging for food, and everything else that makes up my daily routine in the morning. Because I was thinking of the nineteen children, and two adults, who would never wake up. Whose last moments were likely filled with fear and terror as a gunman rampaged through their Texas elementary school.
On Tuesday May 24th, an eighteen year old gunman armed with an AR-15 type rifle terrorized Robb Elementary school. It reminded me of the Sandy Hook shooting, and aftermath. Parents, educators, and politicians said never again. But here we are. Again. In 2022 alone there have already been 27 school shootings in America. I worry about all sorts of things with my kids. Bullying. Peer pressure. Catching up with their work after the pandemic. But the idea my children could die, in a place that should feel safe, is the part that I think terrorizes us as parents. Special interests groups cry out about their rights, but what about the rights of us as a society, to feel safe?
Can safety be guaranteed? Of course not. But you only have to look at the statistics in other countries versus ours to see there is a correlation between the lack of gun control, and mass shooting rates. What used to be a gun owned for hunting or personal safety, has instead become a culture of military grade weapons that can be obtained more easily than a parking permit. To me this is no longer a political issue that should divide parties; it’s something deeply wrong with our country that has to change.
“Thoughts and prayers” has become almost an offensive statement, because it represents a platitude that is often used by people who have no interest in changing the status quo. But I’d like to think thoughts can lead to prayers, and prayers can lead to action. As parents, we need to take action and demand sensible gun legislation in our country. Today I will light a candle as I think about those who passed. I will pray for them. And in their name, I will do something to create change for my children, and yours.