Remember 1984? Remember when that lunatic walked into a McDonalds in San Ysidro, CA and massacred 21 people? My memories of that day are very vague. I was only 10-years-old back then. One thing I do remember is how shocked and horrified everyone was.
This morning when I fired up my computer and heard about the terrible events that unfolded in Newtown, CT, I was certainly horrified. But I was not shocked. How could I be? A lunatic walks into a public place and begins filling innocent people full of lead. It happens all the time in America.
I suppose “all the time” might be overstating it somewhat. But not by much. Just look at the gun-fueled carnage that we’ve endured as a nation in the past year. It’s sickening. And this list is just the over-the-top mass killings to say nothing of all the other gun deaths, including a particularly tumultuous year in your adopted hometown of Chicago.
Mr. President, it’s time to do something about gun violence in this country. It’s not time to promise to do something. It’s time to put it at the top of you agenda. It’s time to look at gun control laws. It’s time to look at mental illness. It’s time to do whatever it takes to make our nation and our children safe again.
It’s time to take a stand, Mr. President.
There are some out there who will bark and bitch about the Second Amendment and how important it is to the freedom of our great nation. Well, as far as I’m concerned, those people can go straight to hell. (I’d use stronger words, but since I’m addressing the POTUS, I’m trying to keep it clean.)
The weaponry fetish crowd will certainly tout their “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” argument over the next couple of weeks. You and I are intelligent people and we both know this argument is garbage. Are the perpetrators of these heinous actions responsible? Of course. But to simplify the argument in such a way is idiotic. It’s like saying, “brushes don’t paint walls, people paint walls.” While I may technically be the one painting my wall, I certainly can’t do it if I don’t have the tools that allow me to apply paint onto the wall’s surface.
I don’t believe guns should be banned, but they surely need to be better regulated. When terrorists used planes to kill thousands of people in 2001, we changed the way we conducted security during air travel. It made sense. So with gun violence being what it is these days, I don’t see why we can’t better regulate who gets to possess fire arms.
The right of a citizen to own a gun should not trump my right to safety and security. I should be able to see a movie or shop at a mall without fear of being gunned down. And more than anything else, I should be able to send my son to school without fearing he might come home in a body bag.
The current epidemic of mass killings is not simply a matter of gun control. There are certainly mental health issues to consider. There are also cultural issues that need to be examined. But people who think gun control isn’t a big part of the solution to this problem are either dishonest or stupid or some combination of the two.
Mr. President, you did not create the gun problem in this is country. You inherited it. We all did. It goes back a long way and it’s a difficult and complicated issue. But it desperately deserves your attention. You, more than anyone else, have the opportunity to make a change. You can bring this issue to the forefront and make it a priority. You can lead the discussion. You can take a stand.
Today as you addressed a grieving nation, you said, “We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics.” I hope you stay true to your word. It’s time to take a long look at gun violence in this country and it’s time to finally have a mature and reasonable discussion about how to fix it.
It’s time.
Mr. Sunshine 