Today I was going to write about more good news here at my safe home in Delaware. But after yet another mass killing of children at a school shooting, whatever I write about seems so trite. My heart just isn't in it. I will write about those events in my insignificant life in a later blog post.
There are a few things in life that I have a hard time understanding. One of them is these random shootings killing innocents. I really have a hard time understand why anyone would go into an elementary school and randomly kill children. Children whose only "mistake" was to be in a wrong place at the wrong time.
When I was in elementary school from 1948 to 1954 the only fears I had was the class bully, Jack S. who was waiting for me to shove me on the early morning wet grass just outside the East Ward Elementary School. Another fear was the Butcher brothers along with Kenny Webb, a trio of older black students who would chase lone, timid little white kids like me (they never caught me, Jack did and more than once I spent the school day with grass and mud stains on my hands and clothes). But the biggest fear I had was the atom bomb. Remember those days? We were given drills that when THE BOMB hit, we were to hide under our desks. Heck, even then I knew my sparse wooden desk with metal legs screwed to the floor wouldn't do much to protect me from being incinerated from the atom bomb. Those were the fears I grew up with. I just cannot imagine having to go do elementary school and having to worry about a random shooter with an AR-15 bursting into my classroom and mowing down.
I can't imagine the pain of the families of those who lost their children yesterday to the latest Republican?NRA enabled murderer. Yes, I said it. REPUBLICAN/NRA ENABLED SHOOTER. I lay all the blame at the Republicans and specifically at Senate Minority Leader's feet Mitch McConnell. They are all cowards whose only priority is staying in power. They are owned lock, stock and barrel (pun intended) by the NRA. Because of the Republicans and the NRA an 18 year old was able to buy an automatic weapon to mow down those innocent children yesterday.
The Republicans say that restrictive gun laws won't prevent mass shootings like happened yesterday in Uvalve, Texas. Perhaps not all but some. Do stop signs prevent accidents? Do red lights prevent accidents? Do DUI's prevent traffic related deaths? YES. Do those deaths still happen. YES but not as many with the laws we now have in place.
So let's dispense with the pious expressions of "thoughts and prayers" and enact real gun laws.
I'm not saying doing away with guns entirely but those is absolutely NO REASON ON THIS GOD'S EARTH WHY ANYONE NEEDS AN AR-15 ASSAULT rifle.
I grew up in a household with guns. My father was a hunter. He had a half a dozen rifles which he kept LOCKED in a gun cabinet. He hunted deer and other small game. I don't remember if me and my two younger brothers were given a warning about staying away from his gun cabinet but we did. We had no interest in guns which apparently didn't bother him. In fact when he died, my Mother told me (as the oldest son) "Pop said you boys can have his guns." Guess what? None of us wanted his guns. She ended up giving them to the son of his neighbor and fellow hunter.
To me the only solution is stricter gun laws. While stricter gun laws won't totally prevent random violence like yesterday, if just one child's life is save, then it is worth it. Again, NO ONE NEEDS AN AR-15 ASSAULT RIFLE!
I won't harp on this subject but I had to make my feelings known because I am so angry right now at the Republicans who enable this horrific acts to continue.
VOTE ALL REPUBLICANS WHO SUPPORT THE NRA OUT OF POWER!