"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."
That is the wording for the 2nd amendment to our Constitution - known as the right to bear arms by many.
If you read it, I truly believe that the writers and ratifiers of this amendment in 1791 meant it for the military. NOT for the individual person who is not part of the "militia."
In 1791 when this amendment was ratified by the states, they could not begin to imagine the weapons that humans would develop over the next 200+ years. The weapons of that time required significant labor to fire a single shot. The couldn't pull the trigger and set off round after round of ammunition.
I have a feeling that the people of Newtown, Connecticut today are not in favor of people being allowed to own rapid fire weapons.
With the shooter now dead, all of our questions may never be answered. Why did he do this? What was his thinking? Was he after his mom? Why kill all the children? Could this have been handled if he told someone what was wrong? Were their signs? Should people have known?
The list of questions and what ifs are endless.
What I know...every single parent in this country is holding their kids a little closer tonight and asking why.
What else I know...every single school is looking at their security and safety procedures and questioning if it is adequate.
Every single teacher is going through safety procedures in their minds and in groups and asking themselves and others what they would do in this situation.
The truth is - when a person brings in 2 weapons and is wearing a bullet-proof vest, we can have all the security we want, the person will get through it. There are some things we simply cannot stop.
I truly believe that our schools do a fabulous job of keeping our students safe. Working in a school, I can tell you that every adult in the building was sick to their stomach today after hearing the news. Every lunch group conversation was about the shooting and how we could stop it, what we could do, how we would handle, etc, etc. Every person there was worried about the KIDS and how to keep them safe.
In truth, in this kind of a situation, your school can have the best security possible, and it wouldn't be adequate. It's not that our schools are not safe, it's not that our schools don't care, it's not that the schools can't protect our students. Our schools do a fabulous job of keeping our kids safe and taking precautions and having procedures for dangerous situations.
The problem is...when a person has a semi-automatic weapon and is determined to cause harm...they will.
I was talking to a colleague today. We both agree that people should be able to have guns...a lot of people hunt. People should have the right to hunt and have the weapons they need for that.
But they certainly do not need weapons that fire round after round of ammunition.
We were talking about the fact that on the gun control issue there are extremes....no guns or any gun. There is no in between.
I do agree with the statements that say "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Obviously, the guns aren't killing the people by themselves. There have to be people firing the guns.
I also agree that the people who want to get their hands on an assault weapon, will get them, even if they are not legal.
But it seems like the availability of these weapons is what we need to look at when we talk about gun control.
My heart is breaking for the residents of Newtown. What those K-4 children and school personnel will live with for the rest of their lives is unbelievable. Even police who see death as part of their job have trouble living with the sights they see. But they are trained and at least somewhat prepared for it. These children and school employees are NOT prepared for that. Their memories, their visions, their dreams will FOREVER be inundated with today's happenings.
We will NEVER stop every disturbed person from causing harm. However, the availability of weapons NEEDS to be addressed.
I honestly believe there has to be a way to allow guns for hunting and NOT all these other weapons.
I have read on facebook some people saying they think that every teacher or school person should be armed for cases like this.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. I do NOT want a weapon in my classroom that I am responsible for. Having weapons available will NOT solve the problem, it could cause WAY more problems.
Like I said a moment ago, I believe that there needs to be more discussion on gun and ammunition control. There is NO reason that these kinds of weapons and ammunition should be available outside of the military and law enforcement. The average person does not need these kinds of weapons.
I know there will be people who argue with me about this, who say that we have a right. But if you truly look at the 2nd amendment and the wording of it, it was intended for the right to have arms for the militia. NOT for every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Whether or not you agree with me on the issue of gun/ammunition control, today was a horrible day in our country.
My heart breaks for all the families of the victims. My heart breaks for the families of all the witnesses. Basically my heart breaks.
The lesson - we only have this moment, we are not promised any more. Take advantage of every moment of your life. Live life to it's fullest and TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU LOVE THEM!!! Hug your children, hug your spouses, hug your parents. The people who are important to you should know that they are important to you. Don't set yourself up to feel badly if you haven't told them how you feel.
I am deeply saddened, my heart is breaking and my prayers are with all of those affected by today's tragedy.
