I cannot keep up with the horror and my aching heart helps no one. Offerings of “thoughts and prayers” make me want to gouge my own eyes out.
Gun violence in America is the definition of insanity. Guns matter more. Let’s just be honest. How you interpret the Second Amendment is literally the hill Americans are willing to die on.
We are burying children.
How does the scene in Texas this week not absolutely gut you in a way that prompts some sort of action? Or the 10 people killed in Buffalo, New York? At the very least it should send you running to the voting booth to vote for candidates who value existing children over unwanted pregnancies. But the Kentucky primary took place just days after the Buffalo mass shooting and had a mere 19% turnout. So, when it comes down to putting a vote behind those thoughts and prayers ... meh. But don't forget to binge watch “The Handmaid’s Tale” or “This Is Us.” Because priorities.
The abortion of an embryo or fetus gets more attention from pro-gun legislators than children being gunned down in a classroom at 10 years old.
We ask everything of our educators. Literally everything. We ask them to teach, to nurture, to feed and protect our babies. All while not being properly supported or compensated. Teachers literally give all ... even their lives.
This Memorial Day, we need to remember not only the fallen soldiers who fought in organized wars and gave their lives for the freedoms of this country, but also the children and teachers whose lives have ended in the horrific scenes of a classroom war zone so that you are free to purchase a semi-automatic weapon.
I’m not talking about hunting rifles.
No, I’m not talking about your over-and-under shotgun for duck hunting.
I’m not talking about the gun you carry on your farm or ranch to protect your livestock.
I’m not even talking about your cute handgun with the fancy handle.
I’m talking about weapons designed for war. The AR-15, for example, was created by Eugene Stoner. He designed this and the M-16 as a military weapon to give soldiers an advantage over the AK-47. Not sportsmen. Not gun enthusiasts. Soldiers.
Nothing will change until people truly get sick of their own rhetoric. And judging by the conversations on social media, not enough people are sick of it yet.
Thoughts and prayers, indeed. It’s an insult.
The Washington Post reported that 19 current or recent Republican senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in my home state of Kentucky and Sen. Rob Portman in neighboring Ohio, have taken at least $1 million each in campaign contributions from the NRA over their careers. This is according to data compiled by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in 2019.
Nineteen senators. That’s $1 million per student who died in Uvalde, Texas.
It has to stop. Voters who skipped out on primary elections this spring have another chance in November.
Local elections matter. Who leads your city, who you send to your state capitol and who represents you in Washington matters. Prayers are only meaningful if they're not purely performance. Show me. Be prayerful in action. Show up. Make good trouble and please, let’s make change.
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Written by Bonnie Jean Feldkamp. Cross-posted with permission from Creators Syndicate.
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