I Demand a Plan · 10:00pm Dec 17th, 2012
A serious blog.
I'm sure we've all heard about the Newtown, CT shootings. It was one of the most shocking shootings yet, killing 20 children.
Children. About age 6.
This should not happen again.
This is the recent e-mail I received:
Dear Joshua,
I’m about to walk out in front of national news cameras to stand side-by-side with family members of victims and survivors of gun violence from across the country.
We’re all shaken by the unimaginable tragedy in Newtown, CT, but we’ve come together to share a simple message, in one voice:
It’s time. In the wake of another horrific mass shooting, our leaders must take immediate action. Join us in telling President Obama and Congress:
"I Demand A Plan to end gun violence!"
We recorded our personal stories as part of the “I Demand A Plan” video project, and you can join us right now.Please take a minute to watch our videos, share them with your friends and family, and then record your own message to our leaders in Washington.
I’m convinced if more people heard these stories -- saw the face of a mourning mother or heard a father describe the dreams his child - killed with a gun - will never reach -- they would join us in demanding that our lawmakers fix our broken gun laws.
My own daughter was shot in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. But Emily was one of the lucky ones -- she survived.
Every day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns. That means more than 48,000 people will be killed in President Obama’s next term.
I recorded a video sharing my story and calling on the President and Congress to take action. I hope you will watch it, share it, and add your own “I Demand A Plan” video:
Thank you for doing your part to give a voice to our heartbreak and put a human face on the profound human toll of gun violence.
Sincerely,
Lori Haas
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Please watch the videos.
Opinions?
Take away the guns and people will just stab each other.
It's sad and terrible, but the problem has never been the weapons. The problem has always been people. People suck.
622681
While I agree that the weapons are not the core of the issue, I'd rather not dismiss it as simply that people suck. I would say it's more the fact that America's "mental health-care system" consists primarily of "prison". We need a complete overhaul. http://gawker.com/5968818/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother
622677
I am unsure and conflicted of your response.
622680
Finally, you show emotion.
622681>>623166
I side with Lavalier on this. The system we have in the world today just doesn't cut it. And it will only get worse as time goes on.
623202
I wanted to find a gif of Rainbow Dash saluting, but I couldn't find one. So I did that instead. I just meant that 10-4 I was going to do it.
623202 Hey, don't make me look like a emotionless troll who only sits on his computer all day and shows nothing for himself.
623208
Let me help you with that.
th05.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/167/6/0/rainbow_dash_salute_by_atomicgreymon-d3bo0dx.png
623209
Maybe it would help if you didn't always use the dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_rainbowkiss_flip.png emoticon.
Try changing it up a bit. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Rainbow_dealwithit.png
623221 I am.
And thanks for making me better about myself.
623228
No prob.
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Damnit. . .
I agree with the above sadly. Weapons are not the issue, though I do not claim to know what is. But the facts remain that every time one person miss uses their rights, people demand that those of us who are responsible are punished 'to make sure it never happens again.' You really want to make sure it never happens again? You take a weapons security class. You teach your kids about weapons safety. Take a stand, not expect others to do it for you. If you see this as heartless, as uncaring, it's not. I do care about the issue, I do feel for those that were lost. But that will not bring them back. I will not let their names become the reason I lose my rights though, that is not right. It's not fair to them.
623238
Remember, because of the new ordering, when you say "above", you are actually referring to the blog.
Unless you're still doing the old way. Which is really confusing to some.
623246 Yeah, i still order it oldest to newest. sorry.
623246
I still do the old way. It makes the most sense to me.
623257>>623262
This is going to be conflicting . . .
Facts prove an increase of concealed carry brings a reduction in crime. If the staff of the school was trained and armed, would the shooter--who doesn't care what gun control laws say--decide to attack it? I think not, and there are examples of this happening.
623875
The attacker never planned to leave the building alive. I doubt that whether he ended up shooting himself or being shot by someone else would have deterred him from slaughtering as many children as he could.
Are you honestly suggesting that filling elementary schools with handguns is the best way to go about this?
624707 If a gunman is going to attack a school, even with the intent of killing himself, wouldn't it be better for a teacher to be able to return fire and save the children instead having no defense against the gunman? If the gunman knew people were going to shoot back do you think he would still have picked that school, and if he did, would he have been as successful?
625146
YES, NO, AND YES. In that order.
EXACTLY!
623875>>624707
I partially agree with both of you. Filling the school with handguns is not the best way to go around with it. But, there is a relation between concealed carry and crime reduction. I don't believe it should be everyone in the school, but maybe around 3 or more, depending on the size - so that way, if someone does attack the school, you never know if it's the 1st-year teacher or the 86-year-old grandma that's gonna pull the gun to his head. And that's not filling the school with handguns.
625631>>625146
You are both correct when you say that there is evidence that concealed carry reduces some crimes... but those some crimes are muggings, robberies, and attempted rapes. This was a suicide attack, and it was over in two minutes. The only thing that putting guns in schools will do is create the potential for the horror of children killing children.
I guess than neither of you have had read my most recent blog, but I work in schools a lot. I know that if I had been in those teacher's positions there is nothing I wouldn't have done to try to save those children. We all feel that way. The reality is, though, that once his .223 Bushmaster began going off there was nothing anyone could do. Any adult reaching for a gun, let alone a 97lbs. kindergarten teacher, would simply have been the first target. I own two rifles, and I believe fully in the second amendment, but I'm ready to admit that there are too many massacres. There has to be a way to stop this.
626463
I remember that blog.
I think Sam Cole is the closest to the truth. It's really the system that's way off. It needs to be fixed.