Ha, oh, pun not intended.
So today across Twitter came another report of another active shooter, this time in Seattle.
And I had to ask, “How many is that this week? How many is that this month?”
I have seriously lost track. I CANNOT KEEP TRACK OF HOW MANY MASS SHOOTING THERE ARE IN MY COUNTRY ON A DAILY BASIS.
And that’s just the ones that make national news. I am sure my city has a shooting almost daily. I’m sure bigger cities have shootings daily. Domestic disputes, black-on-black violence, bar fights that spin out of control.
The crazy people who go after women, go after law enforcement, shoot up schools — they make the national news.
And we do nothing. We sit on our hands. We say we can’t control guns. We say we can’t control hate, crime, misogyny, mental illness.
We give a HUGE shrug to this shit.
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On Saturday night, I went out with my husband to get drinks with two other people. The four of us had a civil, interesting, and illuminating discussion about guns and gun control in this country.
One of these people was a law enforcement officer, and he while he was quite pro-gun, I would not have classified him as a gun nut. We had an interesting conversation about guns in the home, concealed carry, and constitutional rights.
We all had different opinions are views on these things, and I would not have said any of us were extreme in our views.
I don’t think guns are evil. I don’t think people are evil. As a matter of fact, I would be in favor of my children learning about guns and about gun safety. On the other hand, I won’t have a gun in my house because it’s all too likely to lead to injury or death — not to someone trying to break in, but to those in my life whose life is most precious to me.
We have a crisis in this country. I don’t know what to do about it except to add my voice to those out there who think we can do better.
I’ll be sending this post to my representatives in Congress. When Moms Demand Action post something, I’ll retweet it. Something has to change. The status quo cannot stand.
Red Pen Mama 
I was about to enter a comment, but I saw that I already made the same point in a comment to your “Thinking Aloud: Gun Control” post.
Long story short, there is room for compromise if we ignore the radical fringes.
Radical fringes and lobbyists. 🙂
I have guns in my house and grew up with guns. All my kids have learned to shoot – we celebrated Redneck Easter, which includes shooting guns and riding four-wheelers until the price of ammunition got too high. But if there are guns, people should respect them and know how to use them. I have no idea why anyone needs an automatic weapon, but I have friends that own them, and none of them have misused them. I don’t know what the answer is, but just blaming the guns isn’t enough.
I agree, and I’m not blaming guns. However, the vocal segment of those emeshed in gun culture who insist that their 2nd amendment rights, the guys who insist on open carry in Target and Chipotle — they insist their rights to guns trump my right to feel safe in my community. They may be a little bit of the problem.