December 19, 2012

It has to be said.

 

So, ten days break from blogging and such an emotional, heartwrenching post to come back to.

I wasn't going to write it, but it just can't be ignored.

I may offend, but really, we are way past that.

On December 14, my facebook status read "I'm so sorry my beloved America". 

It was a story that started like a ripple on the water, circles that start off small, and slowly....very slowly....spread outwards into perfect formation, gathering everything in it's wake.

The news was big, and hour by hour, the ripples got bigger...more information, more tragic news, more undescribable disbelief that this could actually be happening.

Again.

The focus this time was about children.  Not teenagers, or young adults in a movie theatre, but little, innocent babies murdered at school.  This focus in no way devalues the loss of the brave and wonderful adults, but it stirs something in us that is just.not.right.

So many children..so many.

Could you just imagine the feeling of rushing to the school and just not knowing what you would find? 

Would your heart stop beating for just a moment? 

Would you be able to breathe?

As a parent I put myself in this position, and it hurts.  Before having children, I could be shocked and saddened by a tragedy, but as a mother I can relate.  It's no less thoughtful, but it is different.

I hope that makes sense.

So what happens now?  The messages of love, hope and support will keep flooding through social media, until the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting becomes a sad reference on Wikipedia.

We will distance ourselves from the exact last moments of the lives of the beautiful children, because it is just too horrific to think about.

The Anniversary will come, ribbons will be worn and a day remembered.

How many of these days will come and go before something is done?  Before laws are changed and people realise that the current focus is not working?

Australia's firearm laws in a nutshell:-

State laws govern the possession and use of firearms in Australia. These laws were largely aligned under the 1996 National Agreement on Firearms. Anyone wishing to possess or use a firearm must have a Firearms Licence and, with some exceptions, be over the age of 18. Owners must have secure storage for their firearms.
Before someone can buy a firearm, he or she must obtain a Permit To Acquire. The first permit has a mandatory 28-day delay before it is first issued. In some states (e.g., Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales), this is waived for second and subsequent firearms of the same class. For each firearm a "Genuine Reason" must be given, relating to pest control, hunting, target shooting, or collecting. Self-defence is not accepted as a reason for issuing a license, even though it may be legal under certain circumstances to use a legally held firearm for self-defence.
Each firearm in Australia must be registered to the owner by serial number. Some states allow an owner to store or borrow another person's registered firearm of the same category.

Obviously a privilege rather than a right.

And to my beloved America.  The right of the people to keep and bear arms is set out in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

A right, not a privilege.  With a distinct and obvious impact on the gun culture of America.

The right to bear arms while perhaps being relevant hundreds of years ago, to protect ones family from invaders or grizzly bears, could be somewhat outdated now.  From a patriotic viewpoint, I can understand wanting to protect your family, and having the right to do so, but seriously at what cost?

Tougher firearm laws may not have stopped this perpetrator from carrying out last week's atrocity, but it may have made it harder for him to obtain the weapons to do so. 

There is a connection.  It is obvious. We may have just turned a corner because it is just not acceptable for these children to be gone.

25 comments:

Domesblissity said...

A well written post Michelle. I find it ironic that the very guns that Nancy Lanza owned to 'protect' herself as she was a single Mum (a reason given by a friend on a recent TV report), killed her, by her own son.

xx

Farmers Wifey said...

Thank you Anne, yes it is ironic and very sad. Such a hot topic to debate, but enough is enough xo

TheThingsIdTellYou said...

I could not agree more. http://www.thethingsidtellyou.com/2012/12/aftermath.html

Norlin said...

A sad sad thing to have happened. So many issues, besides just gun laws to be addressed...I wonder at what cost will cause the U.S government to really do something about it.

Farmers Wifey said...

@ Mel, I read your post. Great minds think alike on this topic! x

@ Norlin, yes so many issues besides gun control, people are trying to find answers to ....why.. maybe start at the beginning and work from there! xo

♥.Trish.♥ Drumboys said...

It gives me nightmares , guns are so scary. Enough is enough.

I know every time I yell or get frustrated with my boys the last week I've thought of the children of Sandy Hook ...and guilty.

River said...

Such a scary, sorry time for these people. It's never easy to read of children being killed, I'm very sad for the families who have lost children in this latest disaster.

All For Love said...

Oh Michelle, each and every time I heard or read something about this horrendous tragedy, I'd end up in tears. So so heartbreaking, just unfathomable.
I don't know what the answers are on gun control in America, it is obviously so very complex and a debate that divides like few others do.
I was so disturbed to hear talk of a suggestion for teachers to arm themselves with guns at school in the future... to 'protect' their students from such violence. Is it just me or is there something a little MAD about that idea!?
xo

Mimsie said...

Yes, it had to be said and you have said it so beautifully. It took that tragedy at Port Arthur for John Howard and his government to bring in strict gun laws and rid the country of those hundreds of guns that were destroyed at the time.
I have had Americans say they need to own a gun to protect their family against intruders. If we shot an intruder here in Oz it would be us in jail on a charge of attempted murder. That is how different the laws of the two countries are.
All right thinking people must feel the shock of what took place in that school and surely, even those who are part of the American gun lobby must now realise that there needs to be changes made to their gun laws sooner rather than later.
RIP those poor souls who were all taken much too soon.

Farmers Wifey said...

A very sad, tragic time, something we just can't stop thinking about xo

wsb said...

A week ago today we woke to this tragic news - as a preschool teacher myself i just can't imagine the horror - may they all RIP. and YES to tighter gun controls

Jacana said...

Please check out my latest post I am passing on the "Sunshine Award" to you.

Thanks for producing such an inspiration blog.

Haddock said...

It is sad that the gun lobby does not see the reality and the facts.

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