#NeverAgain: Our Children Deserve More Than This

February 16, 2018

I'm not an overly political person. In fact, I do my best to steer clear of most political conversations - both online and in person. It makes me extremely uncomfortable to discuss my personal political beliefs. The drama associated with these conversations is wildly unsettling.

Over these past days, I've watched in horror as a community mourns 17 children and teachers who mercilessly lost their lives at the hands of one of their own. In the midst of the greatest heartache, a community is pleading for change. I sit and listen to the stories of their last moments with their children, and I'm heartbroken with them. I sit and look at my babies completely scared that I'm going to lose them in a senseless act of violence. They're so little. They're so innocent. They should be safe at school, but they're not.

My fear turns into frustration. Frustration is a catalyst for noise. I can feel myself wanting to post - wanting to scream through social media about what I think should happen next. But I don't, because I already know what to expect.

It's a gun problem.
It's a heart problem.
It's a Trump problem.
It's a devil problem.
Enough with your thoughts and prayers.
Send up all your thoughts and prayers.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are literally exploding with opinions. People, friends, family - they're firing back at one another with the nastiest memes and comments. Everyone is talking, but it feels like no one is listening. It feels like everyone is shouting, but no one is coming up with solutions. So, going against my usual stance on political postings, I want to start a conversation. I want all of my friends and anyone else who reads this to put emotion and political affiliation aside and discuss some real, hardcore solutions.

Here are the facts.

The 2nd amendment is real. Whether you agree or disagree with the right to bear arms, it is one of our rights as an American citizen. Is it outdated? Most definitely. It's one of the originals, and our fore fathers weren't exactly thinking ahead to the kind of turmoil our society has created. In order to get rid of it, 2/3 of states have to agree to give it the boot. (Trust me, that's the easy way of saying it. The full description of how to ratify the Constitution is here.) Do you remember the last presidential election? (Of course you do.) Do you really think America would vote in favor of giving up their right to bear arms?

Any gun laws put into place will have to pass all branches of the government. This includes the Supreme Court. Which means, these laws cannot - in any way - infringe on the 2nd amendment. Again, whether you agree or disagree with it, it is a right. Like any other right, the courts are sworn to uphold it.

While the 2nd amendment does give the right to bear arms, it does not specify the types of arms we are allowed. There are already laws in place that strictly outlaw and monitor ownership of automated weapons. There are also laws that outlaw certain magazines and accessories that can make a semi-automated weapon more like an automated weapon. Personally, this is where I think we can make some major progress. Without abolishing or changing the 2nd amendment, we'll have to work around it by further limiting magazine sizes and terms of use for semi-automated weapons. By limiting where and when these guns can be used, we have a better chance at keeping tabs on them. Guns that are used for protection, like in the home, would have extremely limited bullet/magazine limits. Guns that are used for hunting would be registered for hunting and would be heavily monitored by law enforcement during the different hunting seasons. Guns used as a hobby at ranges would be kept at the ranges - locked and only available while at the range. You would still own your gun and would be required to maintain it, but you wouldn't be allowed to keep it at home.

I'm not an expert, and I don't even want to talk about this. Some of the example solutions I have above may already be in place or may not work at all. But, we have to talk about this. As a society, we have to get better.  Our kids deserve more than what we're giving them. They deserve safety. They deserve a chance. I plan to send these suggestions and more to our state representatives. If they don't make headway in making the changes we need, I'll vote for someone who will. I encourage you to do the same. If enough of us speak up, there's no way they can't listen. But while you're speaking up, remember what the purpose really is here. If we spend all of our time throwing punches and trying to prove how our opinion is the right and only opinion, then we leave no time for actual change.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29