Once bitten, twice shy.
I get it—why you won’t react to my posts about guns, or other politicized subjects. Perhaps I’ve bit, but I promise I’ve been bitten more often, and I bet you have been too—right here on social media by people who delight in criticism because they assume to know our every thought and motive. I, on the other hand, can tell when someone is rattling off talking points and not speaking from their heart, or liver.
While we wait and cast our bets on any gun legislation getting passed soon, (I’ll confess I’m not hopeful) the thought of enduring another mass shooting, or listening to desperate parents talk about moving to a safer country, wakes me up at 3 am with the desire to dialogue with those who’d rather bite me.
Although, my personal preference is to rid the world of every firearm—real or fake, I realize there are not many who will walk or fast with me on this. So I suppose some compromise is necessary—that way a few can live and write about it.
I believe in the Second Amendment, but not for people who were responsible for tragedies in Columbine, West Nickel Mines, Sandy Hook, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, or Robb Elementary School.
I believe in your right to own firearms responsibly for hunting and self-defense, but not for mowing down or massacring innocent civilians.
I believe in the constitutional rights of the more than 311,000 students who have experienced gun violence since Columbine to not have to live in fear.
I believe our children should come home from school alive
—Inspired by “There Has to Be a Tipping Point on Guns, Right?” (NY Times, June 6, 2022)
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