When news of the Sandy Hook massacre hit I tuned it out because I didn’t want to be apart of the media circus that has since ensued. But ignoring a tragedy like this is exactly how we as a society have allowed this to become the new normal.
When Columbine happened the standard whipping boys were trotted out: music, bullying, video games, and violent movies. Yet the point people missed was that school shootings had been an issue in inner city schools for years and no one cared, because “That couldn’t happen in my backyard.”
It’s this detachment that has allowed things to get so bad. Parents buying chest armor or bullet proof backpacks for their children is now acceptable.
Every time we shrug our shoulders and say “There’s nothing I can do about it, so why should I care?”, we abdicate personal responsibility.
If Sandy Hook demonstrated anything, it was that this is what it took to finally wake people up.
Something has been rotten in this country for awhile. As social animals we live in communities and thus our actions effect everyone around us. When we choose to do nothing we are complacent to the outcome. Does this mean we can save the World? No but we can choose to make our part of it better during the finite time we are alive.
The key is to take accountability for ourselves and not reply on the government or a higher power to solve our problems. We are the ultimate arbitrators of our destiny. Having Jesus take the wheel absolves you of any responsibility. If the outcome is good then thank God. If it’s bad then God works in mysterious ways or it was Satan.
Being an atheist means the only person you have to blame if things turn out bad is yourself. It means looking at Sandy Hook and not asking where was God, but how did we let this happen and what can we do to prevent it from happening again.
The fist step is to engage in dialogue about sensible gun control laws. Enforce those on the books and stiffen the penalties for straw purchasing and illegal sells of guns. Close the gun show loophole and reinstate the assault weapons ban. There is no logical reason civilians should have access to military grade weaponry. If you can’t get the job done with a ten round clip then a 30 round one wouldn’t help.
Moreover, if you think you can go toe to toe with the full might of the US Armed Forces you’re delusional. That was the case when the second amendment was written but not today.
We also need to address the ease of access to legally own guns, because in this case the gunman used his mother’s arsenal to kill her then carry out the massacre. Having guns in the home increases the likelihood of violence. Guns are used 40% of the time in domestic disputes. Moreover, accidental shooting of loved ones and suicides account for 32,000 deaths a year.
Stand your ground laws have led to the questionable shootings of two teens in recent months and need to be examined. Self defense laws already have in them mechanisms to determine legitimate claims, while SYG laws give blanket immunity to anyone who feels in danger of their lives. SYG has also been invoked in several gang shootings in Florida. Thus having a gun is not a deterrent for violence, and if you choose to have one in the home make sure it’s secure.
While the shooter’s state of may have contributed to his actions, when the media makes a point of over emphasizing it they’re reinforcing the stereotype that the mental ill are violent. The fact is most people suffering from mental illness aren’t the madmen you see in movies or on TV. They just aren’t. With proper medication, a support system and therapy they live lives no different from everyone else.
Furthermore, harping on his mental state leads to further stigmatization of the mental ill and contributes to them not getting the help they need ,out of fear of being label a psychopath. More than that it again takes the onus of responsibility off the shooter.
He chose to kill his mother. He choose to shoot his way into the school. Chose kill the guards there. He chose to fire round after around into those children who were guilty of nothing more than being in the path a bullet.
He also chose to take his life in the most cowardly way.
If you’re going to commit suicide then do it. Don’t blame anyone, or involve anyone else. Own it, because it’s the greatest protest statement you can make.
When Mike Huckabee pontificated that Sand Hook was retribution for taking God out of our schools he should have been excoriated by everyone left, right and center. First the supreme court ruled in McCollum v. Board of Education that schools couldn’t sanction religious observances. However students can bring their Bible or other religious texts to school for reading for pleasure time, and that can pray before tests and meals, as long as they follow two caveats. First they can’t proselytize. Second they can’t disrupt the other students. Moreover, The Bible can and is taught as literature so long as the teacher follows the caveats above.
Second ,by injecting religious and political ideology into the discourse he muddies the waters and further polarizes an already split nation. The fact is humans have been finding new and inventive ways to slaughter each other since the dawn of time. The moment we unlocked the power of atomic energy we had the means to wipe out all life as we know it. So why give credence to a religion that says there will be no peace until the end of the world. The fact is we all have good and evil within us and all I’m asking is we choose good over evil. Not because of a higher power but, because it is the logical rational thing to do.