It's Tuesday, and Tuesdays are for slicing. Anyone is welcome to join us through Two Writing Teachers, slicing, sharing, and commenting on other slices!
Like a moth to a flame, the devastation in Charlottesville keeps pulling me in. Maybe it's because a dear friend lives and works in Charlottesville as an administrator of an elementary school. In her text to me this morning, she shared the type of writing she's doing these days: an email to families detailing how they will support young children whose school was closed yesterday while police hunted down a college student who murdered three other college students after a university-run field trip. Maybe it's because one of my daughters went to UVA for her first year of college and the area is so familiar to me. I have walked along Culbreth Road, and I can envision the dorms, libraries, and houses where students sheltered in place. Maybe it's even because I wrote a post about my adventure skeet shooting and I worry that my participation supports the gun industry, (although I was in Ireland where citizens don't murder other citizens the way rampages repeat themselves in this country.) And maybe it's because the anniversary of Sandy Hook looms and a memorial has recently been unveiled and I can't believe the amount of gun violence that exists in this country. Over and over and over again.
I don't have answers. Connecticut has tough gun control laws, and a man murdered two police officers a few weeks ago, ambushing them with an assault rifle after calling 911. Chris Murphy, our state senator, has been a vocal and passionate voice in Washington about gun control, but far too many people who should not have guns have guns, including, it would seem, college students on field trips. College students on field trips.
This morning, my thoughts are consumed by the Charlottesville people I know and the places I can picture.
My heart goes out to them as well. There just aren't answers sometimes. More than ever in our country, we need greater resources for mental health. My prayers are with those who were affected by this tragedy in any way.
ReplyDeleteI was having similar thoughts yesterday. It seems like there is a particularly dangerous convergence right now of easy access to guns and a lot more people everywhere who are having more and more trouble with impulse control. I see the latter everywhere...including elementary schools. I hope that our country can have some common sense conversations about guns. I read a comment somewhere where someone said, "Anyone who is opposed to a waiting period before purchasing a gun is exactly the person who shouldn't be purchasing a gun." Just sayin'. Like you, I'm feeling badly for that administrator having to send out emails like the one you mentioned.
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