Talk about a violent Valentine’s Day.. can you imagine what those families are feeling and going through right now? As they mourn their son or daughter as they went off to school like any other day of the week.
Enough with thoughts and prayers. ACT. These are children, and it was a bloodbath.
If you have children or grandchildren, how do you tell them that 17 kids were murdered at school and then send them off to learn in an environment like that?
From 2012 to 2014, on average, 1,297 children died annually from a gun-related injury in the US, according to the study, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday.(1)
It's Fear. And Politicians, the NRA, and other 'Elite' corrupt members of society are reaping the rewards from these children's deaths.
Republicans made a blood pact with the N.R.A., and that has prevented us from making any progress. Individual Americans are going to have to awaken to the reality that our gun hoarding has become a hysteria and we are actually safer as a country with fewer weapons, rather than with more of them.
We have a generation of children growing up with this trauma, and then for it to be publicly displayed on Social Media such as Snapchat is a disgrace. What have we turned into? Remember Columbine... that was a tragedy that left our nation paralyzed for weeks.. and now it seems every time we turn on the news there's a tragedy.
Kids expect they may be shot at school, parents live in fear, and what does society do? Shrugs their shoulders and continue on with the rest of their day.
Armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, Nikolas Cruz, 19, returned to the school that had expelled him the year before for disciplinary reasons. He opened fire, killing at least 17 children and adults. At least an additional 15 were also injured during the attack.
I live in Florida and it is simply unacceptable. Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and now Parkland.. when is our Government going to take action and protect its citizens? Airports, clubs, concerts, schools, are we safe anywhere?
In no other country in the world have more people been at the mercy of semi and automatic mass shootings.
Since 2013, there have been over 290 School Shootings in America.(1)
Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy group, had recorded 17 school shootings on their website prior to this afternoon's shooting in Parkland, Florida. Now there are 18. We haven’t even gotten through February, and there have been 18 School Shootings just this year.
0:58 Inside the School
Is this the New America that we have created?
The NRA has a tight stronghold on the American body politic, bribing corrupt politicians. The answer is simple.. it boils down to greed. A greed for money that cannot be satiated.
It makes me sick that our "President" only offers the empty "thoughts and condolences" phrase.
NO other civilized country has this problem.
But Republican's will play out of their standard handbook..
And here comes the standard response form the gun nuts.
- Guns ownership is a right so we have to live with these tragedies.
- It's not a gun problem, it's a people problem.
- There are millions of guns in service so these events are very rare and the media blows them out of proportion.
Hunting, 2nd Amendment, & Mental Health
- Hunting - last time I checked, you didn't need an AR-15 or AK-47 to kill a Deer.
- Second Amendment - Are you really that afraid of an uprising?
- Mental Health - Is absolutely an issue we should be addressing.. but when our Government cuts funding for Mental Health Programs, it's hard to do that.
"When drugs flood an area, people die like flies from overdoses. Is that a people problem? No. It's a drug problem."
But when guns flood society and thousands die from them, that's a people problem, not a gun problem.
Guns are a public health issue. Those dead kids were healthy this morning.
"If an automobile defect kills a few people, we recall millions of them to fix the problem. But when high powered weapons are used to mow down kids, they say millions are in use so the percentages of deaths are acceptable."
"The number one reason people cling to their guns is that they believe these weapons make them invulnerable. No they don't. If someone wants you dead, you get dead. We are all vulnerable. We can never be invulnerable. We all have to rely on our neighbors and fellow citizens. None of us stands alone. The hyper macho individualism of gun ownership is a false reality. Guns make us vulnerable. Take a trip to Syria or Afghanistan to experience an NRA polite society."(2)
Florida, aka The Gunshine State, has some of the most lenient gun ownership laws in the US. This shooting should be no surprise to anyone.
Call to Action
How many more kids have to be killed before we start taking action? It's sick.. and the people who continue to profit from these disasters. Another shooting. More condolences from our politicians. Another check from the NRA to these same politicians.
People, we too have a weapon - the power to vote. Perhaps if more people voted for politicians who support gun control, we actually can make America great again.. but only if we act.