Bedtime for school-age children is usually a special time for both parents and their children to talk about the events of the day, a tender time to hug, say “I love you, sleep well,” and kiss goodnight.
After May 24, however, for 21 families, bedtime has forever changed.
We all know the story. It’s been the headlines and in our 24-hour news feed since it broke that Tuesday morning.
We can ask why or how can this happened, but does anyone truly have an answer? What’s known is that 21 families’ lives will never be the same.
The impact of the Uvalde, Texas shooting will be far reaching… correction, it SHOULD be far reaching and inspire change in this country. But, I wonder, does America’s love affair with guns trump the loss for 21 families?
Have we become so immune to the fact that this isn’t a one off, but rather a closed-loop pattern that repeats itself again, and again, and again… I’m left with the thought of “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?” And shame is all that’s left at this point.
We’re subject to talking heads debating the pros and cons of gun control; we hear opposing viewpoints from our national and statewide representatives. And while everyone offers their “thoughts and prayers,” it’s rare that those translate into any meaningful action that actually stem the violence,
In December of 1791, the Bill of Rights went into effect, thus ratifying 10 amendments to the Constitution of our great country. The Second Amendment granted the right to keep and bear arms. We all know this.
We are all taught this in U.S. history, but does anyone take the time to think about what the framers of the Constitution actually meant or wanted when drafting the Second Amendment? I believe that if they were alive today, they would shudder in disbelief at the uniquely American problem that gun violence has become.
Before you accuse me of being anti-gun, know this: I’m a firm defender of our Constitution, of the Bill of Rights, and I support our federal and state governments. I support court decisions, even if I disagree with those decisions. As a Town Councilman, I’m often on the losing side of votes, but I will always support the institutions upon which our country is built.
Yet I find myself saying enough is enough.
I leave you with this…how many more shootings will it take to get our attention? How many more families will have to order tiny caskets before society says enough is enough? One more? A dozen? Well, at least one more because there have been over 200 mass shootings in this country so far in 2022. And more mass shootings, though not in schools, since May 24.
The clock reset on May 24 and it’s running. When is the next reset?
Something as simple and as sweet as bedtime – the last conscious minutes of the day when parents pray for a better tomorrow for their children – will never be the same for those families in Texas, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida and other states where children have been slaughtered in their classrooms.
For those families, the better tomorrow will not come.
It is up to us to change that narrative. Now.
