It Goes Without Saying…

Will Work For Stronger Gun Laws

that we would all love to see the end of these mass shootings, and all other violence against our children. This most precious resource is taken for granted much too often by our legislators, leading to a calloused disregard for the total numbers and sheer size of the job needing to be done. Many of us bloggers have commented on the massacre in Connecticut, but still nothing is happening. So I impose on you once again to think about something most difficult.

Yes, this rant is mostly about the fact that no one talks about Connecticut and the massacre there anymore. “Out of sight, out of mind, ” as they say. Yet this wake-up should have been the last one we needed. Twenty children and six teachers killed, all in front of classmates, how is that not the talk of the land? Why are we failing to make that a priority? Are we so afraid of having a dialogue about intelligent and manageable resolutions to this problem?

Nine children are killed every day by gunfire. Nine. I will leave you with that thought.

Guns at Home:

From 2003 to 2007, in 18 states, two thirds of accidental shooting deaths occurred in someone’s home, about half of the victims were younger than 25 years. Hemenway, David, PhD. “Risks and Benefits of a Gun in the Home.” (American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. May 5, 2011)

There is no credible evidence of a deterrent effect of firearms or that a gun in the home reduces the likelihood or severity of injury during an altercation or break-in. Hemenway, David, PhD. “Risks and Benefits of a Gun in the Home.” (American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. May 5, 2011)

These are the same people you trust the healthcare of your children to. They treat our children’s colds, strep throat, infections, and broken bones. Shouldn’t we at least listen to their opinion on the guns at home?

In One Year: ages 0-19

Almost 20,000 American children and teens
are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, accidents, or by police intervention. (Per The Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence)

One commentator on television stated it was his belief that the only way we would start to see change was if we put up the pictures of those 9 children every day. Day after day we see the results of our own inaction. Because that is what this is. The only way for bad things to keep happening is for good people to do nothing. We all know that. I can no longer do nothing.

I just had to speak out. Don’t let this go on the back burner. I love hunting and hunters, I understand gun enthusiasts. “In all things moderation” is also a truism. Let’s exercise some moderation.

Related articles

• The Simple Truth About Gun Control : The New Yorker (newyorker.com)
• Harvard School of Public Health: More Guns = More Homicide (littlegreenfootballs.com)

Write or call your legislator and ask for a motion to be put on the floor today. While I am unsure of your states, your US  Representatives and Senators can be located here:

www.senate.gov                        www.house.gov

One Of Us

Cover of Churches

I was listening to some old songs this morning while I was preparing to blog, trying to figure out my new topics since the elections. I have enjoyed reading and catching up on all the blogs I follow, and wanted to be fresh and new after such a long hiatus. Instead, the words to this song caught my attention and I thought, “Why not?” So….my thoughts on the song, “What if God Was One of Us?”.

If you have never heard the song, the premise is “What if God was One of Us, just a stranger on a bus, trying to find his way home?” I cannot help but think that in many ways it is so very true. God is indeed in each of us, no matter who we are or what we do. He is the person I nod and smile at, mumble a hello to on the street while I go for a walk. At the Veteran’s Hospital, where I get my care, I find that if I smile while walking the hallways from clinic to clinic, others look surprised, but smile back and say hello.

I hope that God is in the students that I tutor on Tuesdays, and that they know I give my best at teaching them reading so that their lives will be richer and free-er. You would be very surprised, and not in a good way, if you knew how folks who cannot read or make change are taken advantage of at times. I hope that he watches me babysit my grandchildren, even when I am tired or in pain, so that my love for them is greater than my concern for my physical trials.

What if God was one of us? I wonder if I have run across him and helped in some small way. During the election, I had several issues that I worked on harder than others. I hope he is happy with that work.

Do you think you see God in your daily life? What if he was one of us? Would you talk to him, spend some time? Do you think he misses his home? Or are we making him proud enough that he wants to stay and see what happens next?

Related articles

• What if God was one of us? (yourjesusmind.com)
• Inspiring Thoughts (timelessbits.wordpress.com)

I Need Your Help!

now why on earth do we need universal background checks for gun purchases? (Photo credit: idropkid)

I have been working on supporting the President’s agenda on Gun Control. The Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, (WAVE) is one of the organizations helping with this, and I am helping them. While I know that not all people agree with President Obama completely, most do  agree on universal background checks. I have created three petitions for our legislature that reflect the three highest points of keeping our streets safe.

The first is Universal Background Checks. Anyone who has purchased a gun from a store has gone through a background check. It will help keep guns away from those who really have no business having one.

Universal Background Checks please sign here to support.

The second is to make harsher penalties for gun runners. Harsher penalties will reduce the number of guns being sold out of the back of a car or truck, thus reducing the criminality involved.

Harsher Penalties for Gun Traffickers sign here to support tougher penalties.

Finally, the third is to reduce the number of bullets in an automatic’s clip, and to reduce the types of automatic weapons sold. There is limited use for these weapons.

Reduce Number of Bullets in Clip/Types of Weapons please sign here to support this ban.

I realize that not everyone approves of all of these, but I am willing to agree to agree on one or any one. So please, give us a hand in making our streets safer for everyone!

Thanks!