Where do we go from here?

Like all of you, I’m sure, I’m having a hard time thinking of anything besides what happened in Connecticut on Friday. Well, what happened, and what on God’s earth we can do to stop it from happening again.

I wish I had the answers. Actually, I don’t need the answers – I just need someone to have the answers. And so far, it doesn’t seem like anyone does.

There’s one thing I keep seeing over and over – although I may be overestimating the frequency with which I see it because it bothers me so much – is the idea that if we all just had guns, we’d be good to go. If only teachers had access to weapons, they could stop these things. If we had armored guards at the door to every school building, our kids would be safer.

Here’s the thing. We have a word for a situation in which everyone is armed.

It’s called war.

And you know what? That might be the easiest solution, the most immediate solution.

But it’s not good enough.

“Protecting” our kids by making sure their kindergarten teachers have assault rifles? No thanks. That’s not good enough for my kids, and I don’t think it’s good enough for anyone.

(And where in the world would we get the money for that, anyway? Our schools have no money. Parents – and teachers themselves, more often than not – have to buy the freaking tissues. But that is a topic for another day.)

The problem is deeper than that. It’s more complicated than that. We’ve got to take a hard look at our society and start placing a priority on gun control, mental healthcare, parenting resources – the list goes on. We’ve got to change our society. That’s no easy task, but now, in the wake of this horrific tragedy that’s captured the attention of our nation, is the time.

As I said before, I don’t have the answers. I don’t even know all the things I can do personally to make these changes, but I am going to keep searching. One thing I have done, though, is sign the petition put together by MomsRising.org calling for common sense gun regulations.

Here’s what it says.

We are beyond heartbroken as we think of the many young children and adults that died in Connecticut. This is the 16th mass shooting in our nation this year.

We are parents. Many NRA members are parents. And none of us want to live in a nation where children are gunned down. Now is the time for the NRA and for Congress to step up and start proposing laws that protect children and all people.

That’s not too much to ask, is it? For the people we have placed our faith in and voted into office to propose laws to prevent children from being gunned down? It is common sense.

I think this is something we all need to talk about, and I encourage each of you to leave a comment on this post so we can get a conversation started here on this little corner of the internet. Together, we can make a difference.

We’re moms. We can do anything, right?

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7 Replies to “Where do we go from here?”

  1. Great job starting this conversation. I belong to the NRA because I have to in order to join the Blue Ridge Shooter’s Club which is a safe place for me to target shoot. It is just like I am a member of AARP so Diane can purchase their health care supplement. Also, I do not think any member of the NRA wants another mass shooting like we have seen recently or in the past several years. I feel the problem is much deeper than guns, and I think you were on that especially with the mention of mental health issues and parenting. These perpetrators are selecting soft targets. They do not try to shoot up a prison because they know the guards will stop them quickly and completely. The Fort Hood case was also a soft target because to be in the meeting room where the shooting took place no weapons were allowed. When we create a no weapon zone we create a soft target. Even the deranged shooters seem to know where the soft targets are and they select them. At this point I have no answer that I can offer or live with. I am beginning to wonder why does a private citizen need an assault rifle? (I’ll probably take some heat for that comment.) Thanks again for starting the conversation to prevent another horrific situation like last week’s.

  2. I would like to see the entertainment industry step up to the plate. One of my FB friends got all bent out of shape because I shared a comment by a concerned father of a k-gartener and an infant about the President using his influence with Jay-Z and his ilk to stop their violence-glorifying music. Is EVERYTHING on the table or not? I am not implying that the killer would have never killed if the rappers sang differently but we have a warped society. The movies that make obscene profits, the video games that are utterly realistic…money can be made in different ways. Then there are the professional sports teams…if a player acts like a thug, kick him off of the team permanently. If he threatens or harms a female, he should be gone. No questions asked. If he is caught using drugs or arrested for DUI, he is gone. Mental health is huge and I can’t believe there are not brilliant ideas out there which are being ignored due to expense. Take a real look at the way govt. spends its money..OUR money. No more team-building retreats for fed. agencies at high-budget hotels…team=build at the office!! I could rant all day. We say that our future depends on keeping our kids safe. Let’s start acting like it, putting all politics aside.

  3. I’m with Charlie – I do not think any private citizen should be allowed to own an assault rifle. I’m with Diane – I think violent “entertainment” like music and video games should be severely restricted. ESPECIALLY video games. I know some will cry free speech about the music thing – I’m not saying they can’t write and record it – I am saying it should be really difficult for at least minors to purchase and listen to (and it’s just not). And as far as the video games – they are the absolute perfect “trial run” for any mentally ill person or angry loner to practice with before he or she decides to make that fantasy a reality. There’s no reason for those games to exist and I really, really wish they were illegal. I just can’t see a hot black market forming for banned playstation games, but maybe I’m wrong.

  4. I totally agree with Diane and Jenny about the video games and other violent “entertainment”. It’s something that I can say I’ve witnessed myself over the last ten to twenty years of being a teenager and now becoming a parent. The are many children and now adults who are so used to video games that give them endless opportunities and practice at violence – in reality, “Game Over” is really GAME OVER. As far as the music industry, I have to ask: What is the point??? Songwriting is something that comes from an individual’s soul, right? Well, if the violent and hate-filled things I hear in music these days are that artist’s soul, I think they may need to be committed for mental health issues!
    I am so torn on the gun issue. I believe I have a right in this degraded world to protect my family when needed however I am able. At the same time I know that no matter how careful I may be with a gun that they could still end up in the wrong hands. The problem is that I see any laws taking away guns from responsible citizens would leave firearms only in hands willing to get them illegally.
    The truth of all these matters is that we live in a lost world where the majority is so far away from God. Who has guns and who commits violent acts and produces questionable forms of entertainment will not really change unless people’s hearts are changed. Much prayer is needed for the salvation of the citizens of this country and for the Lord to guide their actions and the actions of our country’s leaders.

  5. I couldn’t agree more with what everyone here has said.
    My biggest and first concern is the mental health. We have NO SYSTEM in this nation to truly help those with mental health issues. We throw them in prison, and try to bring them back in to society, but with no good resources to continue with, so they end up back in prison – or worst case scenario – doing what happened this weekend (I can’t even type the words, it hurts too much).
    We all need to be more aware of our close friends and family, and how mentally they are doing. We need education for all to know signs of mental health, and we need to be more accepting that it is out there, that it is a real problem, that these people need our help not our judgement, before the unthinkable happens.
    And assault guns, well those should only be for war. Self defense doesn’t need a semi-automatic with repeating rounds. And Self defense/hunting is all the civilian population needs.

  6. Actually, the word for a situation in which everyone is armed is called “peace”.

    There’s a reason the bad guys target gun-free zones.

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