Readers react to Texas school mass shooting | Eagle letters to the editor
Remember Uvalde
Memorial Day was originally founded to honor those who died defending freedom, in World War I.
The day retains a special sensitivity toward those who gave their lives for our freedom.
This Memorial Day, there are fresh graves for those whose lives were surrendered in the name of freedom.
In Uvalde, Texas, two teachers and 19 children died for our right to own military-type weapons of mass destruction. They were mowed down by a young man, who exercised his right to keep and bear arms, outside the discipline of a well-regulated militia.
Like soldiers summoned to war by the draft, and directed into enemy gunfire by the orders of others, these victims of freedom had little choice in their fate.
It was easy, in World War I, and every war since, to simply blame the enemy that shot our people. But in all wars, including America’s culture wars, the decision to engage in that war rests, ultimately, with us.
As we choose to sacrifice others to our cause, the burden of responsibility for their fate rests upon our shoulders. As teachers and children of Uvalde are laid to rest, it is our duty to reflect on whether we justly and righteously sent them to their graves.
This Memorial Day let us preserve the memory of what we have done, and honor those whom we have surrendered to death to preserve our freedom and think responsibly about whom we will surrender next.
Scientific approach
I advocate solving our violent use of guns/mass shootings using a scientific approach.
Thousands of scientifically sound, objective, non-politicized research has been done over the past thirty years.
The FBI is one source of such research done by their Behavioral Sciences Unit. Many quality master’s theses and doctoral dissertations have been done. Plus scientifically sound research has been done by organizations outside of law enforcement and the universities.
When President Barack Obama appointed then-Vice President Biden to head a committee to study the problem, they started out on the right track, but quickly deteriorated to using these unspeakable tragedies as a political football.
Divine judgment
They stood before the Throne; and God pointed to the victims of gun violence, and asked: “Why did you do nothing to save even one of them?”
And the NRA and gun lobbies stuck out their chests, looked God in the eye and loudly declared: “The 2nd Amendment forbade it!”
The gun manufacturers and dealers stared at God’s feet and quietly said: “It was good for business.”
The judges averted their eyes and whispered: “There was a comma.”
The politicians gazed at their feet, trembled, and whimpered: “Lord, you know that we prayed; and there was an election, and we had to be loyal to our party.”
And the people cried: “It’s not our Fault! Besides, we had more pressing issues, like blaming others, and YouTube and Twitter.”
For God’s answer, read Matthew 25:45-46: “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Nun’s perspective
We mourn the loss of more than 30 lives in 10 days. In conversation and in our prayers to God, we ask:
How long will we accept mass shootings as “normal?” How many more small coffins will we weep over?
We CAN curb gun violence – but it requires action from our elected representatives, an end to partisan bickering and profit over people thinking. It requires bravery and compassion, legislation and enforcement.
We are not asking to repeal the 2nd Amendment, but to have the right to bear arms be tempered with the responsibility to use and regulate them wisely.
We lift our prayers for the 7000+ Americans lost to gun violence in 2022. We pray and demand that our elected representatives act for the sake of our children.