The Time To Talk Is Now

I have mixed feelings on the 2nd Amendment.  While I would NEVER own a gun.  Never ever ever.  I do understand the right to bear arms.  Of course, I think that right was thought up in a time when folks traveled by horse and the term whole foods meant you didn't cut the corn off the cob.  In a time when Starbucks and Diet Coke and email didn't exist.  In a time when a twitter war involved tweeting of actual birds.  In a time when you hunted for food because that was the only way to put meat on a table.  But that's not what I am getting at. 

I saw this on Facebook.  So I admit right here that it is entirely possible it is not all true.  But it's probably not all false either.  And the dialog is worth discussing. 

Ironically, it seems that CT has a really progressive set of standards in place when it comes to guns.  The minimum age is 21.  And I had no idea any state made it mandatory for classes first.  CT does.  I think that's awesome.

But it didn't prevent the violence.  It was not enough to save the children.

Because mental health is just such an enormous battle that has long been ignored and misunderstood and shamed.

It's not just in the US and not just violence with guns.  This story got buried but did anyone notice that 22 children were stabbed at a school in China on Friday, too? 

Look at those numbers.  I don't understand why everyone is putting up that ridiculous Reagan quote all over Facebook to say that laws don't need to change.  If your child was killed, I promise you, this would be a no-brainer.   Or the bologna that this is not the right time to talk about this subject.  Oh honey, no time like the present!  But I guess you are right.  The day before was when it should have been discussed.  But folks fear bullies.  Like their own political parties or financial backers or big name associations.  So now is the only option.

Every time this happens and the super right wing hop on TV to say that they need cases of guns to protect themselves from the government and zombies, I always wonder the exact same thing.  What are the statistics on guns protecting people at home?  How many times do they actually save, rather than steal, lives?  And how many lives could have been saved if mental health care was easier to receive?

It is not about the way we have always done things.  It's about the ways we plan to protect the innocent in the future.  It's learning our lessons and using that knowledge to make positive changes towards safety.  Freedom to me is not the ability to own a big weapon.  Freedom is about actually being safe in my own country.

I don't have the answers.  In fact, I think the healthy attitude is to believe that the answers we come up with this week might not meet our needs a year or two down the road.  But respectful conversations need to happen and changes do need to be made in multiple areas.  When you know better, you do better.  Let's do better!

I said this on Facebook and Twitter but I will repeat here.

I have to wonder if this is what the Mayans were talking about.  The loss of 20 sweet babies sure feels a lot like the end of the world as we know it!