When I first heard of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, it wasn't so much the deaths of 20 innocent children that had me on the verge of breaking down in school that day. It was the location. You can almost see a high school or college student as being emotionally tortured enough to do something like this in their school building, but in an elementary school? I myself am in high school at the time of this post, and It scares the hell out of me. I want to have to worry about getting a date, or taking care of my body. Not wondering if today is going to be the day that some maniac with a high powered rifle comes in, and splatters my brain across some wall in a godforsaken fashion. What happens now that an elementary school lies emotionally broken. How do we, as a nation, plan to combat this, when our response at the end of all this seems to be a "we tried our best" with a shoulder shrug for good effect. Are we going to let the NRA steer this debate into the arena of mental health. You are about to see what our "crusade" against gun violence has accomplished. Be warned, it may be disconcerting to your sense of complacency:
2000:
Wakefield massacre: Wakefield, Massachusetts
2001:
Navistar shooting: Melrose Park, Illinois
2003:
Lockheed Martin shooting: Meridian, Mississippi
2004:
Damageplan show shooting: Columbus, Ohio
Nathan Gale, 25, possibly upset about the breakup of Pantera, gunned down former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others at a "Damageplan" show before a police officer fatally shot Gale. Total injured and killed: 12
2005:
Living Church of God shooting: Brookfield, Wisconsin
Mar. 12
Red Lake massacre: Red Lake, Minnesota
2006:
Goleta postal shootings: Goleta, California
Capitol Hill massacre: Capitol Hill, Washington
Amish school shooting: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Mar. 25
2007:
Trolley Square shooting: Salt Lake City, Utah
Virginia Tech massacre: Blacksburg, Virginia
Apr. 16
Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho, 23, opened fire on his school's campus before committing suicide. Total injured and killed: 56Crandon shooting: Crandon, Wisconsin
Off-duty sheriff's deputy Tyler Peterson, 20, opened fire inside an apartment after an argument at a homecoming party. He fled the scene and later committed suicide. Total injured and killed: 7
Westroads Mall shooting: Omaha, Nebraska
Robert A. Hawkins, 19, opened fire inside Westroads Mall before committing suicide. Total injured and killed: 13
2008:
Kirkwood City Council shooting: Kirkwood, Missouri
Northern Illinois University shooting: DeKalb, Illinois
Feb. 14
Atlantis Plastics shooting: Henderson, Kentucky
2009:
Carthage nursing home shooting: Carthage, North Carolina
Binghamton shootings: Binghamton, New York
Apr. 3
Fort Hood massacre: Fort Hood, Texas
Coffee shop police killings: Parkland, Washington
Maurice Clemmons, 37, a felon who was out on bail for child-rape charges, entered a coffee shop on a Sunday morning and shot four police officers who had gone there to use their laptops before their shifts. Clemmons, who was wounded fleeing the scene, was later shot dead by a police officer in Seattle after a two-day manhunt. Total injured and killed: 5
2010:
Nov. 29
Hartford Beer Distributor shooting: Manchester, Connecticut
Omar S. Thornton, 34, shot up his Hartford Beer Distributor workplace after facing disciplinary issues, then committed suicide. Total injured and killed: 11
2011:
Tucson shooting: Tucson, Arizona
Jared Loughner, 22, opened fire outside a Safeway during a constituent meeting with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) before he was subdued by bystanders and arrested. Total injured and killed: 19
IHOP shooting: Carson City, Nevada
Sep. 6
Seal Beach shooting: Seal Beach, California
Oct. 14
2012:
Su Jung Health Sauna shooting
Oikos University killings: Oakland, California
One L. Goh, 43, a former student, opened fire in a nursing classroom. He fled the scene by car and was arrested nearby a few hours later. Total injured and killed: 10
Seattle cafe shooting: Seattle, Washington
Aurora theater shooting: Aurora, Colorado
Sikh temple shooting: Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Accent Signage Systems shooting
Newtown school shooting
I have a message for the gun crowd that thinks having an uzi on the shelf is reasonable...I get it, okay. I really do. I understand that you read the 2nd amendment, and think that it means you can use high powered weaponry. But you can't. The founding fathers didn't foresee the power of the modern firearm, and were making sure that unlike in great britain, you could defend yourself from an unjust government. It doesn't mean that just because the guy who doesn't look like you won, you can prep like it's the end of the world (OH LAWDY, HEYAH COMES THE FISCAL CLIFF!). Don't think that giving everyone a gun is going to magically solve all of our problems...
Now that I'm done with that, its time to say the dreaded GC word. Gun Control. We need better gun control, otherwise, things like this are going to keep happening with increasing frequency. And someday, It may be you getting shot at by a maniac, and thinking, "How did he get that gun?". But by then, it's going to be too late. Let's stop america from becoming one big police line, and take semi-automatic weapons out of the hands of common folks.
Sincerely,
K
P.S. The face of evil has many faces...
P.S. The face of evil has many faces...
Apr. 2
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