Senseless

Twenty sets of parents aren't tucking their child in tonight, after giving them a hug and kiss and sending them off to school this morning.

Twenty children won't be opening their last two Chanukah gifts, or the things Santa was ready to put under the tree in ten days.

I can't imagine being those parents, and it tears me up to think about the holidays and milestones those parents aren't going to see.

As a teacher, I got the news after I'd finished with my students today and I worried about how they'd react to the news. I hoped that if something like that happened at my school, I'd be able to herd my charges to safety and out of the sights of some gunman on a tear.

Here's the thing that gets me: We hear the NRA lobbying heavily about our second amendment right to bear arms being sacrosanct. However, that amendment was created at a time that we did not have an organized military, our militias were made up of volunteer citizens.

We need changes to our gun laws. Driver's Licenses are renewed every four years, why not something similar for permits to carry guns? We register cars, why not our weapons? We have systems in place that if someone gets convicted of a vehicular offense, their ability to drive goes away. Why not the same for guns?

I'm not saying NO guns, I'm saying there needs to be better oversight and control of those that are out there. We need to have each weapon registered, each gun owner to go through similar refresher courses as those who have professional certifications.

And I would to love to know why people need automatic weapons. Those who are hunting deer or bear or other wild game don't want to shoot the animal with 15 or 20 rounds. What practical use is there for that kind of weapon in non-military situations?

It makes no sense to me. It's a safe bet that it makes no sense to you, either.

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