If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
As we wrestle with the very serious issues raised by the tragedy in Newtown, I think that we can all agree on one thing: there is not just one solution to this problem, or one answer to the question of "What now?"
I question Wayne LaPierre's underlying assumption that armed civilians are competent enough in crisis scenarios to ward off or kill an attacker. Though the scenario plays out in virtually every western and action film ever made, good guys stopping bad guys with guns is a rare occurrence.
No issue is more integral to us all than the future of America's children, and the opportunities that our society gives them to succeed. The senseless violence affecting children in America today is abhorrent.
If we are to evaluate our success as a nation based, at least in part, by our children's well-being, we ought to pay closer attention to what ails them emotionally, and to create a safe environment at home, at school and in the community they depend on to thrive.
No single woman leader, even one with as compelling a story as Gabby Giffords, can shift the direction of this debate alone. It will take women like the mothers of Newtown, and organizations like One Million Moms for Gun Control led by Shannon Watts, and more.
Gun control and restrictions on ownership are a political decision left to elected officials, not constitutional principles.
That candle's lever refused to click into the "off" position. Too cold and tired to fuss with it, I brought it into the house and set it at the center of the breakfast table, where it glowed all night. And then it glowed all day. And then it glowed all week. And then for two weeks.
To return to joy, to build a safe world for our children, to heal, we must take a stand against guns. To be people of courage, integrity, heart and grace, we must see it through this time.
Senator Feinstein's bill regulates all semi-automatic weapons in the hands of civilians; requires universal background checks (no exceptions); bans magazines with more than 10 rounds. But it stands a 10 percent chance of getting out of committee. Let's increase those odds.
LaPierre does have a point. We do need to address the way our culture glorifies violence. But the priority must be to stop the bleeding.
I wonder if Adam Lanza was given the chance to learn about himself and discover what he loved. Was he given support and guidance about how to connect with other people around him in deep and meaningful ways?
Many among the staunchest supporters of gun rights believe that armed patriots might have to rise up against the federal government in the future -- not tomorrow, maybe not a decade, but someday.
When God fails to intervene in human suffering, the acceptance of a loving deity who cares for his children arouses fresh doubts.
As the debate over gun control gears up in the wake of President Obama's executive orders, I ask that we remain steadfast in our belief that the specific killer is not the problem -- the loopholes and lax gun laws are.
Three weeks ago, I was printing out an Amazon receipt for a tennis racket. When I grabbed it from my home printer, there was another sheet underneath: A New York State gun license application. Signed by my husband.
As pundits cover the obstructionism and handwringing of high-profile NRA executives like David Keene, it's important to take a look at lesser-known NRA leaders and understand just how far to the fringe the organization has moved in recent decades.
