The Time Is Now!

I have thought about the tragic murders that occurred in a grade school today in Connecticut.  I have rapidly gone through the grieving process, all except acceptance. I was shocked, denied that something so hideous happened in a grade school, became very angry, then thought “we should all have guns”, then “no one should have guns”, but I refuse to accept this tragedy. Some have said “don’t make this political”. I say bullshit. I’m calling every one of our representatives out. Do something about this, and do it yesterday. It is political. Who do I blame? First, the NRA. They have morphed themselves from being a rifle association into a virtual terrorist organization. Second, our representatives who continually push gun control to the side.

 I’ve read that the man who committed this terrible act has had issues for years. It is harder today than ever to seek mental health services. Even our returning veterans who have sacrificed years of their lives to serve our military can’t get the help they need and deserve. Year after year funding for these programs are cut. For what? Because we just can’t afford to help those who desperately need help? So the rich can get richer, and the rest of us plebes just have to suck it up?

Our current medical system is designed for those who have the money have the best care, and the rest of us are shuttled through like cattle. We are not cattle. Having access to mental health care is not an “entitlement” as the political right like to regurgitate, it should be a right. Just as a millionaire has the right to a heart transplant, so should a mechanic, or a janitor. The CEO who sees his psychiatrist to get over his mommy complex has no more right than a young man who has a mental health issue. I suspect each of these people who have committed crimes similar to this latest shooting have some sort of mental illness. (I am speculating, and would more than happily be proven wrong) It is proven that 50% of police shootings are against a person who has a mental illness. Schools…malls…theaters…where does it end? A football stadium with 100,000 targets?

It ends with gun control. There should be more regulations required to own any weapon that isn’t designed to hunt food, and has the capability to shoot tens of rounds and be reloaded in mere seconds.  I understand the belief that you have the right to own such a weapon. And you should, as long as you can prove that you are capable enough to own one, and go through certified training; similar to a driver’s license, or even military type training, where you have to sign an agreement that to own one of these weapons, also puts you on the short list to be available to our military (I’m sure that would stop a few). The trainers should be educated to ask certain questions of the applicants to gain knowledge to the intent for the weapon. The Constitution clearly states we have the right to defend ourselves. If you want a military style weapon, you should have to belong to a group or “militia” that regularly meets, trains, and discusses the responsibility that goes along with owning a machine that is designed only to kill other human beings. I guess you would call it “self-governing” to the extent that if someone in the “group” seems to be having issues, it must be reported to the proper authorities. You should be somewhat responsible for each other to conduct yourselves as brothers, and responsible U.S. citizens.

The United States has a history of violence. Some other countries believe we thrive on violence; that we are laughable Neanderthals who have no respect for human life, and if you look at the gun violence throughout the world, it would be hard to prove them wrong. We flex our military muscle every chance we get. Is that the image we want to convey? Some see us as “peacekeepers” some see us as worldwide “terrorists”, or “occupiers” much like the British were, centuries before.

So, it is political. Every one of us is responsible for this tragedy. We think about the victims, the families, the first responders, and the ones who have the responsibility to clean the crime scene, and erase the visual aspect of such an act of violence. Then we go back to “business as usual” until it happens again.