A true tragedy strikes and the political pundits want to turn it into a debate to get their agenda pushed through. The depth of the tragedy falls by the wayside and everyone starts to concentrate on, of course gun control. A subject the parents who lost children could care less about at that particular moment.
It’s a sad fact that many of the politicians who spout off about gun control, actually own guns or are protected by them. If the talk is not centered around gun control, then it’s the mental health issue. Neither of these address the real issue.
When I was in school, there were guns. In fact, guys even had their shotguns in plain sight in the back of their pickups. There have always been guns and the problem is not the guns. It’s society as a whole. It’s deteriorated and getting worse all the time.
Can we reverse the trend? I believe so but it will take lots of prayer, determination and a concerted effort to do what is necessary. Most people aren’t willing to do that because it is hard. It takes getting out of your comfort zone at times.
In case after case, you hear the perpetrator felt isolated, alone and that no one cared. Sure they may have been on medications or in counseling but they went through something before they got to that point.
Bullying has gotten out of hand in our society. Not just in our schools but everywhere. Adults even try to bully the teachers these days. Children aren’t taught what they need to be taught at home.
We need to talk to those people we see who look isolated or alone. We need to teach our children to reach out and talk to the kid no one else talks to at school. Social isolation is the breeding ground which leads to mental instability in many of these shooters. Social isolation is one of the worst things you can do to a person; it’s devastating.
It doesn’t help when you have students at the high school, I’ve even heard it happened locally, laugh about the shooting. An adult somewhere should have took them to task, called their parents and explained to them it was not a laughing matter and that human life is to be valued.
It’s time we actually took a step back from being anti-social using our phones as an excuse. We need to put down the phones, look around us, see those people who are lonely and engage them in conversation.
If we don’t start trying to change things and actually do something ourselves to help, then we are part of the problem.
I’m all for the second amendment and those rights given by it. You can’t argue with those who stand staunchly on gun control, so don’t try. Instead work on doing what you can to change the current situation, starting within your own family and community.
Statistics prove that you are more likely to fall to your death than get shot with a gun. Statistics run the gamut on homicides by guns and none of them agree, but it is lower than other homicides. Guns can’t shoot off by themselves without someone pulling the trigger. As startling as it might seem, while gun ownership has doubled — thank you to the gun control crazed — homicides with a gun have actually decreased. Fully automatic guns are another story altogether and at one time were illegal.
You can’t keep guns out of the hands of someone bent on doing evil. Drugs are a case in point. If someone is bent on doing them, they will find ways to, just as teenagers who intend to get beer though it’s illegal. Nothing or no one — government, law enforcement or otherwise — can stop someone who has purposed in their heart and are bent on killing. It’s a true fact that if you ban guns only criminals will have them. They always find a way to get them illegally. Murder is illegal but people are killed every day and not usually with a gun. If you don’t understand this or wish for a world without guns, then you just don’t understand violence or evil or the second amendment for that matter either.
Gun owners also need to be responsible. They should be trained with their gun and know how to use it responsibly. Schools should also have, and I don’t like saying this, but “active shooter” drills.
Gun free zones are actually enticing to someone wanting to commit a mass murder. That means they can kill without being stopped.
If you think about it, our laws do not generally allow us to deter crime. In fact, we can’t even keep violent criminals permanently off our streets. Non-violent drug offenders sometimes receive stiffer penalties than someone who rapes an underage girl and cuts off her arm as they can get paroled for good behavior.
Continuing to talk aimlessly about gun control or even mental illness, only clouds the real issue. Instead of enacting new laws, we need a shift in our attitude toward public violence and evil. Each of us should assume some responsibility for containing it. Be aware of people around you and on the look out for the lonely. Get on your knees and pray and teach your children to pray. We need to be praying for others and we need to be resolved to changing our attitudes. We owe it to our children and future generations.©2018

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com