There are no words to describe Friday's tragedy in Connecticut. I cannot say anything that will ease the pain or make things right. I can only offer condolences and prayers to those affected.
What happened was most likely the act of a mentally sick individual who probably needed support he was not getting. In the coming days and weeks we will undoubtedly learn more about the killer, but will we have the fortitude to tackle the underlying issue behind this and similar tragedies or will we sit by passively until another shooting unfolds?
That underlying issue of course is our country's embarrassing obsession with guns, a "right" protected by the second amendment - an antiquated and dangerous sentence: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of the free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
There's a silly idea if I've ever seen one. Can someone show me the closest well regulated militia? Can someone show me a single well regulated militia? Am I missing something or are these well regulated militias out there putting their lives on the line for our country everyday? I've written before about the stupidity that is Constitution worship, but this tragedy highlights - again sadly - the need for serious changes to our Constitution. I find guns fun, I grew up in Mississippi and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was fun to shoot a gun, but let's get real with this. We're handing out guns like they're lollipops at the bank, and we're giving out the biggest and baddest lollipops available to whoever wants one. It's asinine in the extreme and people are dying because of it.
It's worth reflecting on what exactly a right is. Rights are meant to protect people, to ensure our safety and our freedom. Many rights do that. We are lucky to live in a country that values our rights and freedoms, but when those rights become destructive then we must question them. The second amendment has no place in our country. Show me that well regulated militia and I'll show you a group of people entitled to their automatic weapons. Owning guns may be a "right," but that reflects our national collective refusal to acknowledge its stupidity. It may be a right, but it should not be. We allow individuals to buy and keep assault weapons. Think about that, assault weapons. It's nothing short of a national embarrassment and innocent people die as a result. When was the last time you read a story about the heroic gun-wielding private citizen who used their firearm to stop a deadly assault? Can someone send me the link to that news story? If a right is meant to protect our freedom and safety then why do we continue to cling to a fake one that costs literally thousands of innocent Americans their lives every year. Do we really think the country will be better off as an armed camp of paranoids who walk around hand on hip eying everyone suspiciously? Shoot first, ask questions later, right? In what world does this make sense? It's a flimsy argument before we examine the data, and once we see the data we realize how truly ludicrous and farcical it is to believe that we are safer if we have guns. I mean it's just simply not true. That's all there is to say.
It's time to reevaluate our "rights" and acknowledge that some of them are actually wrong. Owning weapons should not be a right, and while I acknowledge that we will never rid America of guns, we need to stop celebrating a culture of death. This is not the wild wild west. There are no outlaws or Apaches or grizzly bears lurking beyond the unconquered frontier waiting to be vanquished by the heroic pioneers of yesteryear. We seem to still think we need guns for those kinds of things, but sadly instead we get countless innocent victims. My prayers are with those affected by yesterday's tragedy and for all those who will suffer in the future if we cannot accept the error of our thinking.
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