DADDY CAN'T EXPLAIN: Violence and Guns
Daddy can't explain the violence that took place at Virginia Tech a couple days ago. But, then again, I've never been able to explain or understand violence. And gun violence is especially frustrating.
This 23-year-old student at Virginia Tech was said to have problems. At least one professor saw things in his writing that made her request that he be given counseling. His own roommate wasn't very surprised to find out this kid was responsible for 33 deaths. My question is how does a person like this get a gun?
If we had found out that he obtained his weapon illegally we probably would have reacted to this story differently. But, no, he bought his gun and ammo legally and the store clerk said he didn't see any reason not to sell to this student because he passed Virginia's idea of a background check. If that professor who was concerned with his writings would have had her request for counseling taken seriously would this all have happened? And, even more important, if the gun store clerk would have been able to see a record of that professor's request would he have sold the gun to the student?
I'm so fed up with violence in this country and in the world. I'm especially fed up with gun violence. I'm pro gun control and anti-NRA (gee, maybe I'll wind up on their list now) and if it was in my power the only people who would have guns would be the police and the military (and even then I'd still not be happy).
Hearing about this Virginia Tech shooting on Monday really put me over the top in my frustration, anger, and sadness about violence. I had coincidentally watched the movie Bobby over the weekend and I'm also reading a book about JFK and RFK. How many great minds have been destroyed because of gun violence? How many great leaders? How many innocent people just trying to get through their daily lives?
As I write this a breaking news email from CNN has popped up and reports that 127 people in Baghdad were killed today in a bombing...sigh.
How does one explain these sorts of events to a child? How does a parent tell their child not to hit or be angry with others when they see it in their cartoons or sadly in their own households for some children. I feel I've been lucky in my life to have avoided giving in to violence or having been a victim to guns. I was thinking the other day about my 40 years of life. I was born right before the U.S. suffered most of their deaths in Vietnam and that seems to be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of violent deaths in the world in my lifetime. In part two of this post I'll go into further detail about that.
For now, my advice to all parents, gather your children around you, tell them you love them, and give them a big hug.
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