There have been two mass shootings in the past week. You'd have to be living under a rock to not realize this. I stopped watching the news months ago, but even I am aware of what is going on.
I reluctantly watched CNN last night because, for some reason, FOX News Channel was not reporting on the most recent shooting, in Boulder, Colorado, my own backyard. I spent a lot of time in this city, shadowed by the Flatirons, during my high school years and my early 20s. My husband went to college at the University of Colorado. It was a bit too close for comfort.
It didn't take long for things to turn political, of course, as the CNN anchor spoke with an "expert" about why we need stricter gun laws. When the conversation turned to Republicans loving their personal freedoms more than lives, I reached for my remote faster than Nolan Arenado bolted for St. Louis.
You see, I am a gun-loving Republican, but I just can't get on board with what the anchor said. Why?
I do not love my right to bear arms more than I love life. This is absurd. If I believed that guns kill people, I would want to have much stricter gun laws. Obviously, I don't buy into this.
I believe that people kill people. And I believe that evil exists. While many think that making gun laws stricter will cut down on mass shootings, I think this is simply not so. There is an expression that rings true here, "If guns were outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." We all know that, just like there are ways to obtain illegal drugs, there will always be ways to buy guns illegally. If someone really wants an assault rifle, that someone will be able to buy one. Always.
I don't know what all the statistics are, and I don't need to know. I also don't know what lawmakers are trying to outlaw and what they think it will accomplish. Again, not important. Logic needs to rule in this discussion. While I am not always the most logical person, in this case I believe I am.
Several years ago, I spent nearly six months in Chicago for work. The city has very restrictive gun laws. Yet every single night when I turned on the news (I still watched back then), the first 10 or 15 minutes was filled with shooting after shooting, mostly handgun-related violence. Most taxi drivers won't even venture to the crime-ridden South side.
Deaths add up, though not as quickly, with handguns versus semi-automatic weapons. A life is a life is a life. Whether one is lost or ten, it is just as tragic. But you won't hear that on the news. Mass shootings draw bigger ratings and keep people, including me, transfixed, unwilling to change the channel or move from the couch. This should not be the case.
It seems, to me, that most news outlets start caring more once there are a certain number of deaths, let's say anything over four or five at one time. I could be wrong on this, but it has been my observation. Mass shootings are horrible, and we have had more than the lion's share in Colorado. But years ago, a family friend, Sid Wells, someone I loved, one of my brother's best friends, was also killed in Boulder. He was executed in his own condo by his own roommate. It was a big story because Boulder just wasn't a big murder type of place back then. It still wasn't, until yesterday. Sid was dating Robert Redford's daughter which made it an even bigger deal.
My point is this: Sid was one person, murdered by someone he knew. I've heard most people are murdered by someone they know. Sid's death was but one, but it profoundly affected me, and I will never get over it. I don't know if his killer used a legal gun or not; I believe it was a sawed-off shotgun. But a person killed Sid, not a gun. An evil, horrible person, one that still has not been brought to justice.
I grew up with guns. My father owned more than one and I always remember feeling safe because of it. He never killed an animal, never hunted. He kept guns for the protection of his family. I was married for 20 years to a cop who carried two guns -- and a knife -- on his person at all times, even when we went to church. I used to give him crap for the church part, thinking he would never need a gun there. Boy, did I get that wrong. How many church shootings have we had since then? More than one.
Every time we have a mass shooting, the media wrings its collective hands, and states the same thing it always has: we need to have stricter gun laws. The violence must stop! For the most part, Democrats toe the same line. It is amazing how fast it turns political.
Well, I am of the opinion (and you don't have to agree) that the human heart is the issue here. For all the people out there that, legally, own guns, how many of them commit a horrific crime? What percentage? There is also a mental health issue here, it's true. Obviously, some of the people who murder other people are seriously troubled individuals and probably shouldn't bear arms.
But there is also a purely evil component at work. And no law can ever prevail over this type of thing. If a person wants to kill people in mass, they can make bombs or drive a car into a crowd. Or hijack a plane and fly it into a skyscraper. The great news is this: if evil exists (we all know it does), then God does as well. He will always win. We have free will and many choose to wield it for bad purposes. Not God's fault. That is important to remember.
I guess the point I am trying to make is, where there is a will, there is a way. And some people have very strong wills. They will do what they want, regardless. These mass shootings are horrific, they truly are. The taking of any innocent life is always a sin. Always. Sadly, these types of crimes will continue to happen. That doesn't mean we throw our hands up and say, "Oh, well. Nothing can be done. Let's just all accept it and go on with life." No. We should never accept one person taking another person's life. Unless it is in self-defense.
I don't have all the answers and I don't want to be divisive. God knows there is enough of that out there right now. I am simply giving an opinion that I think is based on logic, not emotion. I understand other people don't agree, especially those who are in the thick of the emotional part of this: the victims' families. I do not know and do not pretend to comprehend what they are going through. All I can do is pray for them.
What else can I do? What can you do? We can live each day of our lives, not in fear, but in sheer and utter delight, knowing full well that we could be the next victim when we are grocery shopping or seeing a movie or worshipping at church. When you or I say good-bye to our spouse, leaving for the day, we may not return.
Instead of finger pointing, maybe we should just do our part in our little corner of the World. Light up the darkness, as Bob Marley said. Overcome evil with good. This won't be enough to stop people killing people. But maybe, just maybe, it will make a difference somehow, somewhere.