Little Children cut down by gunfire while starting their day at school. A horrible, unspeakable tragedy that touches a much wider circle than those in Newtown, Connecticut.
Trying to decipher a motive and a reason while watching the talking heads and their experts is fruitless - there isn't sufficient information, and frankly, there will never be enough information to make sense of this.
Well-intended people on both sides of the debate over guns and gun control legislation will passionately argue their positions and why it is the right one in the light of another mass shooting.
If there are no guns, or if it's much more difficult to get them, does this happen?
If someone in that school had had a gun and could have taken the shooter 'down,' would lives have been saved?
I don't know. That information doesn't exist for us to sift through tonight.
We can do some things.
First - we can pray - ask our Lord and Savior to wrap His loving arms around the grieving families; confused and bewildered authorities; and provide true comfort and peace.
Second - we can get involved - learn more about the issues, seek out answers, and try to find the best systems we can to keep these tragedies from happening again.
Some things we can't do.
We can't prevent - completely - this kind of tragic event. Sin - evil - is real and present in this world. God did not do this. Sin did this. It's the imperfect world we live in. God's love and protection is why so many more are alive in the midst of this horror.
We can take a step back from the demand for reflex actions and engage in thoughtful discussion. Perhaps some in the NRA and those who don't share their views can sit down and agree on what is obvious - this event in Connecticut, like the two in Colorado, like the one in Virginia - are wrong and something can be done to reduce the likelihood of them happening again.
It won't be a discussion that produces bumper sticker slogans if it's one that is effective. That and discussions between mental health professionals and individual rights supporters to do what we can to provide help for those that need it before something horrible happens.
It's a Sisyphean task - one we likely won't conquer - but it's a task we should work to solve.
Comments
Post a Comment