So, what was it that you were talking about…killing babies is wrong?
Two narratives are running through the country right now:
Save babies and keep gun rights.
The Supreme Court may likely overturn Roe v. Wade this summer, ending the ‘threat’ that the ‘pre-born’ might be unborn.
Yet, the number of mass killings, especially of children, doesn’t seem to move the protectors of the Second Amendment. That’s the one that reads:
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
But let’s think this through. If a child is indeed born, and they are ‘safely’ in the world, have parents who love them, support them and provide for their welfare, they are supposedly ‘safe.’
At least, until they go to school.
Or go to their grocery store.
Or to Walmart.
And even their house of worship.
And if they’re unlucky, in the wrong place at the wrong time, the wrong person–someone who doesn’t care if he (mostly, they’ve been white males between the ages of 18-25) will live or die, with a grudge against minorities/gays/bullies/life that they’ve been dealt will be issued a weapon of war to settle scores.
What happens to those ‘innocent babies’ then? ‘Saved’ by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, only to be silenced forever after they’ve had a chance to dream? To accomplish? To make an impact on a small group of individuals?
Only to be cut down before they have a chance to fulfill their potential?
After all, these kids had dreams. Matthew McConaughey might be ‘just an (Oscar-winning) actor,’ but he was powerful in his remarks at the White House on Tuesday, June 7.
McConaughey spoke in great detail about the children (in Uvalde, TX) and what dreams they held before they were killed – one wanted to be a marine biologist, one had been preparing to read a Bible verse at church the next week, and another wanted to go to art school in Paris. (per CNN)
Those dreams will not come true, thanks to one 18-year-old with a grudge and an AR-15. And for those who believe that these individuals constitute “a mental health problem:”
“In the U.S, it is easier to get a gun than it is to get mental health care,” stated Angela Kimball, of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in 2019. “We need to flip the script. It should be easy—not hard—for people to get the mental health care they need.”
According to NAMI, research shows an increased risk of gun violence comes from a history of violence, including domestic violence; use of alcohol or illegal drugs; being young and male; and/or a personal history of physical or sexual abuse or trauma. Mental illness alone is not a predictor of violence.
Worse…nothing has been done to change the gun laws that make these weapons available to anyone age 18 or over, whose rage has been simmering just below the surface. Until one day, it boils over. Then, no one is safe.
He described what survivors told him about their children. And more gruesomely, about the impact of assault rifles on young bodies.
Visibly choking back tears, McConaughey said, “Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds of an AR-15 rifle, most of the bodies so mutilated that only DNA test or green Converse (the victim was wearing) could identify them. Many children were left not only dead but hollow. So, yes, counselors are going to be needed in Uvalde for a long time.” (per CNN)
Miah Cerillo, 11, was one of the ‘lucky’ ones at Robb Elementary School. She smeared the blood of her best friend over her body so she could appear dead. Imagine the trauma she’s harboring. I am astounded at her presence of mind, at such a young age. Not to mention her incredible self-preservation instinct. Did she learn that in active shooter drills, a process as traumatizing as it may protect them? Was it something she thought of herself? She’ll be testifying to Congress soon about her experiences.
How do you square protecting life and letting guns run rampant in society? That’s the conundrum the United States of America is in now.
McConaughey rightly said there was now a “window of opportunity” to enact meaningful gun legislation reform and called for universal background checks, raising the minimum age for purchasing an AR-15 to 21, a waiting period for purchasing AR-15s, and the implementation of red flag laws (per CNN)
“These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities, schools, and homes. Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back – they’re a step forward for civil society and, and the Second Amendment,” McConaughey said.
And my two cents, for what it’s worth: Bring the assault weapons ban back. Or write a new one, lest criticism of “looking backward” ensues. Let the military be the keepers of these weapons of war–NOT PRIVATE CITIZENS. Not your ‘average Joe’ with a grudge and a death wish.
If Uvalde, Texas, or any other mass killing site–Columbine, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech University, Northern Illinois University, and countless others are to mean anything, we need to honor their memory and protect the living.
If not now, WHEN? If not us, then WHO?
I agree with McConaughey, “Enough with the counterpunching. Enough of the invalidation of the other side. Let’s come to the common table that represents the American people. Find a middle ground, the place where most of us Americans live anyway. Especially on this issue. Because I promise you, America, you and me, we are not as divided as we are being told we are.” (per CNN).
Let’s prove this by enacting laws that protect us all…, especially our children.
