Such
a terrible week. First a mall in
my neck of the woods and then the unthinkable shooting of elementary school
children.
I
wasn’t feeling very Christmasy this year, what with one daughter in London and
the other newly married and busy setting up her own traditions, grandkids far
away, and my mother receding into confusion. I had been thinking that maybe Christmas needed an upper-age
limit—wondering if we should reserve the
festivities for those under 18 and their adult hangers-on.
And
then the shootings. And the lives
of all of those children lost during this holiday season.
I
feel sick and sad and helpless.
All I could think to do was to contact my congresswoman and senators and
the President and try to raise a voice for sensible gun control. (Ironically, only 2 out of 3 of my
people in Congress even had “gun control” listed as a topic of concern for an
e-mail. . .) It seems that even those who hunt or carry a gun for
protection should be able to agree that no one outside the military needs an
assault weapon, and that it should be at least as difficult to buy a gun as to
get a license to drive a car.
Democrats
and Republicans alike are afraid to raise the issue. We need for all of them to hear from all of the heartbroken
people who usually stay silent in the face of the NRA juggernaut. (And why wouldn’t the NRA support a ban
on assault weapons, anyway?)
I’ve
heard the arguments: There are
already too many weapons in circulation for a ban to make a difference. We can’t stop all acts of
violence. But can’t we, as a country,
start somewhere to do what we can do:
Ban assault weapons. Buy
back those already purchased legally.
Spend more money – lots more – on mental health care and early
intervention. (I just read an
article saying that most people who commit these acts have left a trail of
markers of their instability and intentions, but so often their families cannot
get help for them.)
Please
contact Congress and the President.
It’s the least we can do for the children.
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