GUN VIOLENCE

As you may have heard by now – the top story in America is the shooting in Newton, Connecticut where a young man went on a shooting rampage and killed close to 20 people, mostly children between the ages of 5 – 10 years of age.  My blog today is not to discuss this heinous crime, it is to discuss the how easy it is to obtain a gun in the United States.  Many will argue and say that this is not the right time to engage in a debate over gun control – I say they are wrong.  Every time something like this happens in America – those who advocate for ‘the right to bear arms’ always look to point the blame elsewhere.  Brian Fischer of the American Family Association, believes that children died because the school neglected to embrace God (see attached video).  I don’t believe that helpless and innocent children died because the school wasn’t religious enough – they died because someone was just crazy enough or sick enough to kill them.   There is no reason to distribute blame as to why so many innocent children died.

Many Americans believe that it is their right to own a gun – they need to ensure they have them in case someone tries to break into their homes.  They also need them for hunting defenceless animals for sport.  The simple fact is – gun violence is out-of-control in America but why?  Is it because guns are so easily attainable?  I came to Canada when I was 3 years old – my parents never owned a gun and never talked about owning a gun for defence or for sport, it was something that was not a topic of conversation in my house.  The only people who had guns in our neighbourhood, were cops and criminals.  In my 43 years – I have never seen a gun, unless it was in a store or on a cop.  I never had friends who had guns (at least that I was aware of) and I none of my family members owned a gun.  I know there are many responsible gun owners out there but I also have heard the stories of accidental gun shootings simply because a gun was in the household.  I personally see nothing good from owning a gun – it is an instrument of death.

Here is the Brian Fischer of The American Family Association thoughts on this tragedy (which I find preposterous):

Here is Barack Obama’s address on this matter:

My thoughts are with the families of those who lost loved ones – There are no words to express the pain we all feel due to this tragedy.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!