You've heard the quote: Guns don't kill people, people do.
About three weeks ago an eight year old girl was shot and seriously wounded at school when a gun went off in the backpack of a classmate as he dropped it on his desk. Amina has been in intensive care ever since, fighting for her life.
The boy lives with an uncle since his custodial grandmother died. Both his mother and father lost custody of him, although he also lives with his father, and was visiting his mother, where he got the gun. Both Mother and her boyfriend have guns, even though they have criminal records. The boy brought the gun to school, he says, because he was going to run away, and/or he was being bullied, and needed protection.
Three days ago a seven year old girl was in the family van with her siblings. Mom and Dad, a Marysville police officer, were nearby, talking to friends. A younger sibling got the service revolver out of the glove compartment and shot the seven year old girl. She died.
Last night a family stopped for gas in Tacoma. Mom went into the convenience store. Dad took off his pistol and holster and tucked them under the seat, then went out to pump gas, leaving the infant daughter and the three year old son in the car. The little boy scrambled out of his car seat, got the gun, and shot himself in the head. He's dead.
All of these cases are local.
Now, of course, it's time to talk about blame. Who's at fault?
The boy with the gun in his backpack was expelled from school. In his troubled life, now he no longer has that stability. The legal process is trying to find something to charge his mother with. After all, someone else's child was shot.
The other two grieving families provided the guns themselves that killed their children.
Who did the shooting? Kids. After all, guns don't kill people, people do. Really?
Now I do understand the need for guns. My son-in-law is in law enforcement. I have close family members in the military. I grew up in a family of hunters. And we actually ate the meat and it helped with being able to put food on the table.
But I don't understand strapping on a gun for "protection", or, and especially, leaving a loaded gun where children can get to it.
Once we're talking about blame and punishment, it's too late.
Guns kill.
An excellent post, Linda, and SO true! I've been horrified by the numbers on incidents like these just in the past few weeks!! It seems that every night at least 20 minutes of the news is about shootings, killings, robberies etc. just here in the Seattle area alone! And, yes, guns kill, but it's the people out there that pull the trigger.
ReplyDeleteSylvia
I certainly agree with you. I am totally frustrated with the NRA. Not a word can be uttered in this country that they don't drown out the saner voices. I too grew up with guns, after all I'm a Texan. It never bothered me to see ranchers and farmers with rifles in the gun rack in the back windows of their pick-up trucks. It never bothered me when my father went hunting. The stuff you're talking about bothers me a lot. We can't discuss this issue in this country because of the NRA. Dr Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon, has said that as long as America allows guns, trauma surgeons will have work.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one...
ReplyDeleteI agree. My brother was a gun and rifle collector. He was convicted of terroristic threatening after he showed a gun to a co-worker and said he would use it to kill his boss. He served 10 years in prison.
ReplyDeleteLiving here in Washington state along with you, Linda, I have seen and read these stories with both horror and sadness. I have never held a gun and don't want to be anywhere around them. But I too understand the need for them... but we have gone way too far in the other direction, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou know how I feel on this issue. It's such a shame that our gun lobby prevents us from enacting laws that could protect more people.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%
ReplyDeleteAhhh..my post was before my nap....Linda..I would comment on your blog always no matter what..you don't embed the comments which makes it worse.....if you need the letters, I will do it for you always...
ReplyDeleteLinda, Thank you so much for this post, although incredibly sad. Fault? Well, definitley the ones responsible for leaving the gun where it has no place in being. Kids do not naturally want to 'shoot and kill' and in most cases ( not all)it is not in their nature but they are kids and they are curious and prone to watching and acting upon what goes on around them. How sad we have people that are ignorant and irresponsible that have children!
ReplyDeleteIn the USA the answers are difficult because there are strong views either way. But I'm glad I live where guns are less available - Dave
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