First, what a tragedy. No one argues with that. Loss of life and loss of peace,—both are terrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.
Second, what’s the cause? I will say very honestly that I just don’t know. My first thought in situations like this is mental illness. I don’t know that, and I’m not a doctor or therapist—I just know that normal people do not do these types of things.
Third, I don’t believe guns are the main problem. Should some people not be allowed to own guns? Yes! If one cannot pass a background check on mental fitness and criminal background, he or she should not be allowed to own a gun. Other than those reasons, people have an inherent right to self-defense, and guns are the great equalizer. Do I believe we need to protect schools better? Absolutely! Do I believe there might be some other things down to prevent some of these tragedies? I hope so, but I don’t know any that are worth the trade off. Please let me know if you know of measures that would prevent senseless killings while preserving the right to self-defense.
Finally, I’ve seen suggestions that we take away guns from people because people are the problem. The problem with that logic is that the only people who will have guns will be government agents and criminals—neither of whom are as concerned about my life and my rights as I am.
I’ll end with this quote from an article I read about the shooter. I don’t know if it contains the answer or just maybe a hint, but I thought is was powerful: “Neighbors were in disbelief Monday afternoon. Most said they didn’t know Sturgeon and hadn’t spoken to him, never seeing warnings signs of Monday’s tragedy.” Of course they saw no warning signs because they did not know the man. Maybe that’s our real problem—we don’t take the time to really know one another.
What Say Ye?
C
