What Will It Take?

I'm sure you have all heard of the horrific tragedy from Las Vegas by now. If you have somehow managed to not be in touch with any human or disconnected from everything today, a gunman killed 59 people and injured more than 500 during a concert in Vegas last night. This is the worst mass shooting to happen in the United States. My heart hurts for all of these people who have lost a loved one and those who are lying in hospital beds fighting for their lives. It's all so senseless!! Everyone is sending their thoughts and prayers. But I'm not. What are "thoughts and prayers" going to do? How does that help? What really needs to be done is better gun regulation. Get these automatic weapons off the streets. Limit the amount of ammo you can buy. Introduce a longer wait period... I don't know. Do something. Something is better than nothing. And I don't give a damn about "infringing on second amendment rights". Nobody needs an automatic weapon. Nobody needs that much ammo.

But I have very little faith in Congress, especially after 26 people died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a few years ago, 20 of whom were little children, and they did nothing. Absolutely nothing. They didn't even TRY to do anything. What will it take? The lives of 20 little children wasn't enough. The lives of 49 at a night club wasn't enough. Maybe this time, this shooting in Vegas, will be the turning point??? All of this inaction just proves to me that, to them, money reigns supreme, even more important than the lives of little children. Perhaps the only way for them to act on this is to experience first hand the horrors of gun violence... It all just seems so hopeless.

Tonight, as were hugging and kissing our kids good night, Keith asked Maddie if she knows what to do if someone starts shooting a gun at school. She immediately nodded her head. Her teacher would turn off the lights, lock the door, flip a table over and everyone hide. And nobody makes a sound so that the bad guy won't know that they're there. And last year, as kindergarteners, her class took a "fieldtrip" to the spot where they'd all evacuate to if the school got attacked. It was truly heartbreaking hearing her describe all of this. She's six! We live in such a mad mad world, and awful things are happening at an alarming rate, making all the madness the norm. I can't make any sense of it... Tonight, I just hugged the kids longer and tighter than I normally do. I hope they never have to experience how ugly this world can be. And I hope you and your loved ones remain happy and healthy. That's all I ever ask for...