Yes, it's a "hot button topic" and it should be. We need to turn up the heat a little more. What we have to contend with is not only a culture of violence, but also a desecration and disregard for the lives of the children who are victims. Schools, churches, synagogues and temples are sacred places. I wish there was a way to soften the hard realities of all of those school shootings that seem to have been ignited by Columbine, 25 years ago. Twenty-five years, an entire generation.
The names, places and people are not forgotten. They are seared in our collective memory bank. What needs to happen is to put people in positions of leadership who will change existing gun laws to insure a safer, more sane environment for all. You and others are right about looking at other countries as examples of what has been done to take corrective action. As has been said repeatedly, vote as if your life is on the ballot, for it is, at every level, local, state and national. Yes, it's a touchy subject for many who have twisted reasoning about the 2nd amendment. It's not about that at all. It's about common sense and the lack of it. "It doesn't have to be this way."
I've wondered about our culture of violence. Most countries have histories of conflict and cruelty. We add the frontier, our attachment to independence and the glorification of lawlessness. The perfect storm, perhaps. We do have a noticeable dichotomy around saving the lives of children, don't we? I think a refined and renewed approach to our "Why Vote" messaging could be helpful, but at the end of the day, it's going to be about making our voices heard in how we vote. It does not have to be this way, and I hope, in the near future, it won't be this way. 61% of Americans are on board!
Sad that it’s only 61% which is a commentary in itself. Here is that kind of talk the Winchester Model 1873 repeating rifle, the first firearm to use the slogan “the gun that won the west.” But Sam Colt also claimed the title for his Peacemaker revolver. How ironic (?) the recent 14 year old school shooter’s name was Colt. Our westward movement across the U.S. is riddled with bullets in order to “win” and take it away from the people already there. Winning by waging war has a bloody history and is extremely costly in terms of lives sacrificed.
Thank you so much for writing this. I retired from teaching first grade in Frederick County the year of the Sandy Hook shooting. Shooter drills with 20+ little ones asking questions. Horrible. I’ve been a MOMS Demand Action member for a long time. My grandson once told me he had a dream about a shooter in his school, and he was trying to get in his locker. I’m also active with Be SMART which is a program about securing guns, keeping them away from children and others who shouldn’t have them. Progress is so slow, but we must never give up.
Thank you, Suzanne, for taking your teaching background and transferring that energy to activism in your retirement. I believe a fair number of readers also read these comments, so if you'd like to elaborate a little bit on what kinds of activities come out of your Moms Demand Action and BeSMART efforts, I'd be grateful to have that information here. Slow progress isn't no progress!
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense Legislation works to support laws that will reduce gun violence. Universal background checks, Red Flag laws to keep guns away from those who shouldn’t have them (Emergency Risk Protection Order), and other bills. There are chapters all over the country. The group I’m in is from the upper Eastern Shore. Be SMART is a part of Moms but focuses on gun violence prevention by encouraging gun owners to secure their guns in gun safes or with gun locks. We “table” at events to teach people about us. Our next event is Out of the Darkness Walk in Easton which is about suicide prevention and how guns are a part of so many suicides. In June, we observe Wear Orange which supports those who are victims of gun violence - survivors, families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Currently, the Moms organization is sending out questionnaires to find candidates who will work for gun sense laws and endorsing them. If anyone is interested in finding out more about us, please reply to me with an email.
Awesome, Suzanne. Thanks for taking time to respond and for these efforts! I am also happy to help facilitate a connection to you if anyone needs that.
Thanks, Rita, for reading this and for writing your piece (which I've now linked in a way to make it easier to access). It's comforting, somehow, to know that there are people from all across the country of similar minds!
The statistics you've gathered are staggering. Paired, as they are, with the images, the names, the texts, and the stories that insist we don't forget that those numbers are inextricably attached to people, to individuals, to friends and family of someone.... powerful.
I appreciate that, Amy, and have so much respect for what those friends and family must bear. This post won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's hard to look at these realities, though I believe we must. Thank you for your willingness to consider this topic with me.
This is appalling. Right from the statistics to the fact that when another school shooting from the USA reaches the media across the globe, we're all somewhat fatalistic about it. The horror of those lives lost, the fact that my grandson is almost the age of some in the USA who have already lost their lives - I can't believe that nothing can be done.
Even now, many hold the belief that they are not stringent enough. The first and foremost test should surely be a mental health check.
Western Australia has just carried out a large gun buy-back exercise. Periodically, state police across the nation will hold a gun amnesty, enabling those who have no registration (perhaps because of finding granddad's guns in a back cupboard, no longer needing a gun, no desire to hunt, farm doesn't require guns - whatever) to be handed in permanently with no fines attached.
We have a gun on the farm for shooting predators only. My son and husband had to attend a month long course before permits were issued. They both hate using the gun. It must be kept in a steel locked cabinet bolted to a concrete floor and police run random checks to make sure guns everywhere are safely stored. I would be happy for the gun to go to the police and for us to have nothing but our wits.
Very few voters in Australia find the conditions onerous, and are happy to abide within the law. There is a Hunters, Fishers and Shooters political party but they have little to no sway at elections and rarely make a dent.
I wish with all my heart that we can maintain or increase the level of legislation here. I wish the same for the USA but I think its wasted energy as we see it from overseas. I hope I don't offend...
No offense taken, but I will continue to hold out hope all the same. What else is there to do among sensible people? The description of your permitting and safe storage regulations is so informative -- thank you for sharing that, and for standing alongside us in our challenges.
I've said this before: there is your writing (which is amazing, clear, thought-provoking, and from the heart) and there are the links - a whole other level of reflection, exploration and learning. For instance, Isaac Saul is a treasure to be discovered. Thank you, Elizabeth for introducing me to him and to Tangled, his website.
There is a sign at a charter school in Texas I used to visit: "Impossible is nothing," which is a clever play on an old phrase. Now it makes me think of hummingbirds, of agency, and of taking sips (like voting, like writing post cards, like dialing up ones activism, even just a little), like the hummingbirds sip tiny drops of nectar for that "nothing-is-impossible" flight of thousands of miles to get to where they want to go.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for the links, Stewart. A piece like this takes me deep into research mode, and it means a lot to know that at least a few folks choose to experience the results of that exploration with me.
Speaking of research, I just spent a couple of minutes with "impossible is nothing" and learned that it was coined by Muhammad Ali, then adopted by Adidas as a slogan. I'll copy the full quote below. Isn't it reassuring to know how we can look to the natural world for examples of agency and encouragement for ding what we might otherwise think was beyond our reach? Power to the hummingbirds!
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
As I watch the slowly dwindling number of hummingbirds at my five feeders I am humbled by their amazing lives. Voting is so important. May the apathetic find the energy to do so. Thank you for this post.
Humbled for sure. What we stand to learn from the non-human beings with whom we share this planet. Thank you, Dell, for your part in it all and for taking time to read and comment here.
I must admit that writing these things doesn't feel like courage. It feels like a combination of heartbreak and fury. But maybe that's where courage gets its start? Good to see you, Darrell, and I appreciate the support.
Yes, it's a "hot button topic" and it should be. We need to turn up the heat a little more. What we have to contend with is not only a culture of violence, but also a desecration and disregard for the lives of the children who are victims. Schools, churches, synagogues and temples are sacred places. I wish there was a way to soften the hard realities of all of those school shootings that seem to have been ignited by Columbine, 25 years ago. Twenty-five years, an entire generation.
The names, places and people are not forgotten. They are seared in our collective memory bank. What needs to happen is to put people in positions of leadership who will change existing gun laws to insure a safer, more sane environment for all. You and others are right about looking at other countries as examples of what has been done to take corrective action. As has been said repeatedly, vote as if your life is on the ballot, for it is, at every level, local, state and national. Yes, it's a touchy subject for many who have twisted reasoning about the 2nd amendment. It's not about that at all. It's about common sense and the lack of it. "It doesn't have to be this way."
I've wondered about our culture of violence. Most countries have histories of conflict and cruelty. We add the frontier, our attachment to independence and the glorification of lawlessness. The perfect storm, perhaps. We do have a noticeable dichotomy around saving the lives of children, don't we? I think a refined and renewed approach to our "Why Vote" messaging could be helpful, but at the end of the day, it's going to be about making our voices heard in how we vote. It does not have to be this way, and I hope, in the near future, it won't be this way. 61% of Americans are on board!
Sad that it’s only 61% which is a commentary in itself. Here is that kind of talk the Winchester Model 1873 repeating rifle, the first firearm to use the slogan “the gun that won the west.” But Sam Colt also claimed the title for his Peacemaker revolver. How ironic (?) the recent 14 year old school shooter’s name was Colt. Our westward movement across the U.S. is riddled with bullets in order to “win” and take it away from the people already there. Winning by waging war has a bloody history and is extremely costly in terms of lives sacrificed.
Thank you so much for writing this. I retired from teaching first grade in Frederick County the year of the Sandy Hook shooting. Shooter drills with 20+ little ones asking questions. Horrible. I’ve been a MOMS Demand Action member for a long time. My grandson once told me he had a dream about a shooter in his school, and he was trying to get in his locker. I’m also active with Be SMART which is a program about securing guns, keeping them away from children and others who shouldn’t have them. Progress is so slow, but we must never give up.
Thank you, Suzanne, for taking your teaching background and transferring that energy to activism in your retirement. I believe a fair number of readers also read these comments, so if you'd like to elaborate a little bit on what kinds of activities come out of your Moms Demand Action and BeSMART efforts, I'd be grateful to have that information here. Slow progress isn't no progress!
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense Legislation works to support laws that will reduce gun violence. Universal background checks, Red Flag laws to keep guns away from those who shouldn’t have them (Emergency Risk Protection Order), and other bills. There are chapters all over the country. The group I’m in is from the upper Eastern Shore. Be SMART is a part of Moms but focuses on gun violence prevention by encouraging gun owners to secure their guns in gun safes or with gun locks. We “table” at events to teach people about us. Our next event is Out of the Darkness Walk in Easton which is about suicide prevention and how guns are a part of so many suicides. In June, we observe Wear Orange which supports those who are victims of gun violence - survivors, families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Currently, the Moms organization is sending out questionnaires to find candidates who will work for gun sense laws and endorsing them. If anyone is interested in finding out more about us, please reply to me with an email.
Awesome, Suzanne. Thanks for taking time to respond and for these efforts! I am also happy to help facilitate a connection to you if anyone needs that.
I truly appreciate the points of light you have gathered here. Thank you. You are so correct, that nothing comes from nothing.
Thanks, Rita, for reading this and for writing your piece (which I've now linked in a way to make it easier to access). It's comforting, somehow, to know that there are people from all across the country of similar minds!
The statistics you've gathered are staggering. Paired, as they are, with the images, the names, the texts, and the stories that insist we don't forget that those numbers are inextricably attached to people, to individuals, to friends and family of someone.... powerful.
I appreciate that, Amy, and have so much respect for what those friends and family must bear. This post won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's hard to look at these realities, though I believe we must. Thank you for your willingness to consider this topic with me.
This is appalling. Right from the statistics to the fact that when another school shooting from the USA reaches the media across the globe, we're all somewhat fatalistic about it. The horror of those lives lost, the fact that my grandson is almost the age of some in the USA who have already lost their lives - I can't believe that nothing can be done.
Most know the story of Australia's Port Arthur Massacre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia). Immediately after that, the then government (centre right conservative) brought in stringent gun laws. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_of_Australia
Even now, many hold the belief that they are not stringent enough. The first and foremost test should surely be a mental health check.
Western Australia has just carried out a large gun buy-back exercise. Periodically, state police across the nation will hold a gun amnesty, enabling those who have no registration (perhaps because of finding granddad's guns in a back cupboard, no longer needing a gun, no desire to hunt, farm doesn't require guns - whatever) to be handed in permanently with no fines attached.
We have a gun on the farm for shooting predators only. My son and husband had to attend a month long course before permits were issued. They both hate using the gun. It must be kept in a steel locked cabinet bolted to a concrete floor and police run random checks to make sure guns everywhere are safely stored. I would be happy for the gun to go to the police and for us to have nothing but our wits.
Very few voters in Australia find the conditions onerous, and are happy to abide within the law. There is a Hunters, Fishers and Shooters political party but they have little to no sway at elections and rarely make a dent.
I wish with all my heart that we can maintain or increase the level of legislation here. I wish the same for the USA but I think its wasted energy as we see it from overseas. I hope I don't offend...
No offense taken, but I will continue to hold out hope all the same. What else is there to do among sensible people? The description of your permitting and safe storage regulations is so informative -- thank you for sharing that, and for standing alongside us in our challenges.
Always, Elizabeth. Even to watching the debate and almost throwing a plate through the TV at the man!
💥
I've said this before: there is your writing (which is amazing, clear, thought-provoking, and from the heart) and there are the links - a whole other level of reflection, exploration and learning. For instance, Isaac Saul is a treasure to be discovered. Thank you, Elizabeth for introducing me to him and to Tangled, his website.
There is a sign at a charter school in Texas I used to visit: "Impossible is nothing," which is a clever play on an old phrase. Now it makes me think of hummingbirds, of agency, and of taking sips (like voting, like writing post cards, like dialing up ones activism, even just a little), like the hummingbirds sip tiny drops of nectar for that "nothing-is-impossible" flight of thousands of miles to get to where they want to go.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for the links, Stewart. A piece like this takes me deep into research mode, and it means a lot to know that at least a few folks choose to experience the results of that exploration with me.
Speaking of research, I just spent a couple of minutes with "impossible is nothing" and learned that it was coined by Muhammad Ali, then adopted by Adidas as a slogan. I'll copy the full quote below. Isn't it reassuring to know how we can look to the natural world for examples of agency and encouragement for ding what we might otherwise think was beyond our reach? Power to the hummingbirds!
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
sending hugs to you and your brave heart.
Glad to have them, Roe, thank you!
As I watch the slowly dwindling number of hummingbirds at my five feeders I am humbled by their amazing lives. Voting is so important. May the apathetic find the energy to do so. Thank you for this post.
Humbled for sure. What we stand to learn from the non-human beings with whom we share this planet. Thank you, Dell, for your part in it all and for taking time to read and comment here.
Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for having the courage to write these things.
I must admit that writing these things doesn't feel like courage. It feels like a combination of heartbreak and fury. But maybe that's where courage gets its start? Good to see you, Darrell, and I appreciate the support.