SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!
I'm tired of platitudes.. "the families are in my thoughts...".
IT'S TIME FOR ACTION!
I'm proud of my Oregon Senators, they are working to tighten the laws on gun ownership.
I'm proud of our State of Oregon, they passed tighter gun laws yesterday.
IT'S TIME TO STOP TAKING MONEY FROM THE NRA!
The NRA gave 30.3 million dollars to the Trump campaign.
* Trump Blocked a Rule That Made It Harder for the Mentally Ill to Obtain Guns
* Trump Made It Easier for “Fugitives” to Buy Guns
* Moved to Loosen Gun Restrictions on Federal Lands
* Advanced a Bill to Make It Easier to Buy Gun Silencers
* And a lot more. Read more HERE!
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* I think every school in the US needs a guard on duty.
* Every school needs a locked door and video cams at the doors.
* The age to buy a gun needs to raise from 18 to 21.
* Anyone with mental issues should not be allowed to buy a gun.
* Re-institute a ban on the sale of AR-15 rifles that come with up to a 30 round clip or a 100 round drum.
* Do not vote for anyone who takes money from the NRA
* BAN violent video games where shooting people is "winning".
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In the effort of transparency, I believe in the 2nd Amendment.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
My family owns firearms and I believe in being able to protect our family and property.
But I also believe in rules and laws that protect our children and citizens from home-grown terrorists.
These shootings are not okay.
Let's all vow to do... SOMETHING.
Thank you Teresa. We need to vow not to vote for anyone who supports a candidate influenced by the NRA. The hypocrisy of those that vote pro life yet vote for less restrictive gun laws is not lost on me. Even though this happened in Florida, I feel this way with every single shooting no matter where it happens.
ReplyDeleteI am so saddened and upset by the latest tragedy that it's hard to think clearly. I do know that something horrible has changed in the last 20 or so years, as I just said on Mere's post. I think it's the desensitizing of our culture to violence and death and that there are no moral absolutes anymore. Anything goes. And God is gone from everywhere. We ban Him from our lives and whether we like it or not, that is where the moral compass that sustained us for years as a country used to come from. I fear where we are headed as a nation. And I pray for each one of us everyday to stand up for what is right. Teaching our youth that violence isn't the answer. Death is permanent, not like video games and movies. And now I'm rambling. I just want you to know I love you Teresa. I wish love and absolute peace to everyone in this country, in this world.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Thank you! I stand beside you in everything you wrote Teresa.
ReplyDeleteAnother shocking school massacre Tesesa...we were all so very sad to see this on the news and how I feel for those devastated families. It's horrific. As I am British I cannot understand your gun laws.....ordinary families here would be horrified to own a gun. However I respect your views as a USA citizen and I hope that you can all come up with ideas to stop this happening week after week ( we heard that there have already been 8 school shootings since January). Goodness me what a sad situation. I am glad you are standing up for change, take care. Hugs xxx
ReplyDeleteIt is absolutely absurd that an 18/19 year old boy can purchase an assault rifle with no questions asked but he cannot legally drink a beer. How does that make any sense? Who needs an assault rifle? The only purpose of any gun is to hurt or kill and if you buy an assault rifle, then that means you wish to do those things as quickly as you can. How is that okay? The whole world is in disbelief at the lax laws around guns in the US. There are some loud and strong young voices coming from students at the Florida school who are fed up. I hope they continue to rise up and demand immediate policy change. Enough is enough. The government cannot pretend that they want to control the borders for security reasons; they cannot pretend that refugees or immigrants are a threat when they continue to allow the sale of high power guns to American citizens who are intent on causing harm. The FBI had a name months ago and they say they it was a deadend. They are the FBI for God's sake. It is their job to investigate and they definitely did not do their job in this case.
ReplyDeleteGET THE NRA OUT OF OFFICE AND TAKE BACK AMERICA 2018.
ReplyDeleteBravo Teresa. I stand beside you. Enough is enough!
ReplyDeleteTeresa, It is good to hear your views. We are a loving community of bloggers and the sadness we all feel at these times is palpable. We need to work for change. Thanks for you post
ReplyDeleteI am saddened by such a sad loss of life and lost for words, something must change.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you feel comfortable to speak out on your blog - only by speaking out and taking action will there be change. There was a school shooting near where I live, it was a long time ago but the gun legislation was changed shortly thereafter (triggered by this tragic event), making private gun ownership illegal. I get the impression (from the news, blogs and other outlets) that America is approaching a turning point but no doubt it is going to take several generations to undo damage done. Keep fighting! I am with you all the way. Obviously living in the UK makes me pretty useless as a campaigner but I can at least offer you all moral support. xx
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I find these shootings horrendous and such an attack on our culture. When will enough be enough? When will change finally come? Love this post.
ReplyDeleteI too was saddened and shocked by the senseless loss of such young lives,yet again in your country.Bravo Teresa for speaking out.I just hope,it wont be too long before changes are made,and before it happens yet again.Hugs xx
ReplyDeleteI am in total agreement with you!! thank you for putting this out there in black and white about what is going on!!! take care from Iowa
ReplyDeleteJust a few hours after I published my last post and wished all who read it a lovely day, I was heart broken to learn of the latest needless killings and since then angered as I learned that those who we trust to uphold the law and guard our safety failed to do so when they had been warned of the danger of the young man who committed the murders. Upholding the laws we already have and banning automatic type weapons are needed, and as you alluded to about the violent video games we need to encourage those around us to learn how to set loving boundaries and each do our best to vote for those who will govern by working toward loving consensus that protects life liberty and pursuit of happiness.
ReplyDeleteAfter a full week of treatments, today we had a break and we were able to go out for lunch to celebrate my 67th birthday. In all the hardships and grief in the world around me I am grateful to be alive and have the opportunity to try to be a loving human being even though it seems so challenging to know how best to do that! Love with hugs to you and yours, Teresa xx
This is not a "gun" issue It is a "culture" issue. It is also a "law enforcement" and "societal enforcement" issue.
ReplyDeleteAs to "cultural" issue: What type of culture produces (yes, even encourages) individuals like this? Answer: Ours. Over the last few decades, our culture has sunk to the depths of depravity. We are immersed in a cesspool that fosters this type of behavior, that encourages this type of behavior, that glorifies this type of behavior. But this is too big of an issue for me to deal with here, so I will proceed.
As to the "law enforcement" and "societal enforcement" component: (1) The police were called to this person's house 36 times and apparently did nothing to stop this atrocity from proceeding. (2) This person was expelled from school. I am a teacher, so I know how much has to happen before a student can be expelled. Apparently it did, but nothing was followed up on, so the wheels of the tragedy-in-the-making kept turning. (3) Social services investigated on a few occasions, saw all the signs, but did nothing to stop this person and protect society from the obvious. (4) And then there is the FBI who was contacted on at least two occasions, being furnished with a social media message that proclaimed this person's intentions very clearly, by name. They did nothing. And now they have the unmitigated gall to give their condolences... and excuses. All these people and institutions are on the tax-payers payroll and one of their jobs is to protect us. They all failed. Miserably. And, based on what I have observed over the last few decades, I don't see them ever getting any better at it.
So what can one do? The only this I can see that might help a bit is to take responsibility for self-preservation and apply strategies that will actively protect the individual. I came across this article that lists some things that might help, specifically in schools. We might want to seriously consider these: https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2018/02/18/how-to-eliminate-school-shootings-overnight-n2450380
Thank you for speaking out, Teresa. I hear a lot of talk about mental health, culture of violence, and lack of personal responsibility in relation to the repeated mass shootings that are occurring in this country. The reality is we cannot address the mental state of every citizen, cannot be assured that every child will be raised to be a caring and responsible individual, sheltered from violence. These issues are important, but the burden of solving the problem falls squarely on the shoulders of our nation's LEGISLATORS and leaders. We need sensible gun control laws! No other country in the world with gun control laws experiences the level of carnage we have here. That is a FACT. Yes, it is about the GUNS and we need to love our children more than the ability to own assault weapons. Until that happens, these awful killings will continue. November 2018. Vote out any member of congress that accepts money from the NRA and refuses to legislate sensible gun control measures!
ReplyDeleteI do not mean to be disagreeable during this tragic time, but more laws will not solve this problem. To see this, you need look no further than Chicago, which has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country. Yet death from gun violence is rampant. This is because only law-abiding citizens abide by the law. Criminals do not abide by the law. Neither do people like the perpetrator of this crime who was bent on mass murder. People in this latter group will, if they do not have access to guns, find other weapons to use in their rage. Note: No guns were involved with the Boston Marathon bombing. No guns were involved with 9/11. And how many times have we seen perpetrators run into a crowd of people mowing them down with cars or trucks? We need systems of defense to protect ourselves from these perpetrators, not more laws that only law-abiding people will obey.
ReplyDeleteIn 1996, Australia suffered a mass shooting which killed 35 people. Within 12 days their government, led by a conservative Prime Minister, enacted sweeping gun control laws. (It had happened there 11 times before the 1996 incident). It didn't end all crime, of course, but they haven't had a single mass shooting incident since then. So, yes, these laws work, and not only in Australia. To say they don't is simply denying facts. Our children, and all of us, deserve better.
ReplyDeletePeople can be killed by any means, yes. The difference, of course, is that an assault weapon's ONLY purpose is to kill-- on a large scale and in a very short period of time. You cannot say that about a car, truck, or plane. Let's not confuse the issue.
BTW, I think it's good to have a reasonable discussion even when there is disagreement about something that is so important. Thanks again, Teresa, for speaking out.
Hello Teresa. I am sorry I did not respond to your post earlier. We too were shocked and saddened when we heard the news of the shooting. I am afraid I really don't know what the answer is. I don't think I understand enough re your laws etc to offer a really informed opinion. I agree with you Teresa that something needs to happen. It is good that you stand up for your beliefs Teresa! I cannot imagine having firearms in my home - but things are different here. Hugs Anne x
ReplyDeleteI am a Scot and I remember the school shooting, like Sandy Hook small children were killed, that happened not far from where I was growing up, following that several laws were passed in the UK banning, for the most part, the public ownership of hand guns (not shotguns), there has not been another school shooting in the twenty plus years since then. I now live in Chicago, which has strict gun laws rendered useless by the gun laws in the adjacent states. All developed countries have issues with mental health, an increasingly secular society and violent video games only the US has almost unfettered access to military grade weapons and a very well funded pressure group to ensure it stays that way. For me as a mother gun violence is the single scariest thing about bringing my children to the US. I hope the country finds a way forward with this.
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