but if just one of those kinder-gardeners was packing, this wouldn't be an issue

News of Sandy Hook Elementary shootings is rocking the nation.  This incomprehensible act of violence is striking grief in hearts throughout the country and gluing us to news outlets.  Do we want to prove that we're human and that we're emotionally connected, is that why we are hooked?  Is it our deep seeded argument of gun control that amplifies the media hype?  I think it's a little of both.

I'm writing this entry as an indirect victim of a school shooting myself.  On april 16th, 2007, I was later than usual to the classroom/hallway where the Virginia Tech massacre took place.  I got engulfed in the belly of the beast; the media frenzy.  It was, by far, the largest news story of the year and serious network viewers were tuning in.  It's been over 5 years and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel and what I can do about it.  The first thing that comes to mind is that time heals these wounds.  I don't think so, I think there is only a certain amount of pain we can endure and at first there is a lot of pain in a short amount of time.  Then you just learn how much you can live with and it sticks around.  Perspective is the only beneficial quality gained.

Humans are emotional creatures, something ingrained in us probably for survival. In a modern culture of instant connectivity, we have learned to experience life vicariously through each other.  I think this is why we're so absorbed in news like this; when we try and experience the depth of sadness.  But why would we be interested in feeling hurt?  It's because we want to help.  We want to share the burden, we want to be be thankful for our blessings when we realize they're not for granted, and we want to protect those hurt and vow to never let that happen again. 

Let's do that.  Let's actually make steps towards curing our disease.  This isn't a small issue that wont effect you, we are all vulnerable.  Ironically, the argument against gun control is that your vulnerability is in your control.  That just isn't the case.  It's why these villains strike us here.  You can very well be armed to the teeth but your elementary school son or daughter isn't gunna be packing, are they?  Is it not more obvious than ever that we need to take the gun out of the killer's hands rather than put guns in our children's? As it stands, I think our constitutional right to life is actually being limited by our amendment to bear arms.

I do think a parent has the right to protect their family, but allowing such ease of access to firearms for everyone is doing just the opposite.  It's giving a family someone to be protected from either from within their doors or outside. That leaves us with our current problem of allowing firearms but directing them into the right hands.  There are two ways we could do this, by putting them solely in the hands of 1, responsible citizens; and 2, authorities.

1. Owning a firearm is a huge responsibility.  Purchasing and owning a firearm requires no demonstration of said responsibility.  This is because we're so afraid of government control that we feel as if we don't need to prove ourselves.  But, just think about the ownership of any other item that we're okay with proving ourselves for. We're required to pass a driving exam before operating a motor vehicle on our roadways. I've even found it harder to adopt a puppy than to buy an assault rifle; when you apply to adopt a puppy a home inspection is pretty common.  If you are responsible and owning a gun really means that much to you, sacrificing a little more of your personal information and demonstrating your aptitude should be no problem.

2. In some circumstances, the procedure for vetting the apt few is so intense that it makes more sense to allow few to serve for many, such as an airline pilot.  I think this is the only solution in our schools.  Should our defense be left up to teachers and students or trained professionals? 

It's a combination of the wrong few ingredients that make up such a disaster.  They are easily available weapons, mentally disturbed individuals (usually young adults), lack of deterrent forces, and a definite source of infamy.  We may not have the power to forever stop these events from happening but we sure need to reduce them.  If we know which indicators could lead to these situations, we need to be able to collect sufficient data and screen for these outliers.

It's great to see an outpouring of love and support for these current victims. Do as much as you can to help. Let's also show that compassion for future victims by learning from our past.