I
hold these truths to be self evident…
For those of you who know me, you are well aware of
my propensity to opine. I consider, in
this order, my priorities, aunt, sister, niece, teacher, a public servant, citizen,
and activist and usually it is the case my opinions are born from these which I
also consider my duties. But, I have
remained decidedly and deliberately quiet on Newtown, as I heard very clearly, the voice of my father who endured my voluminous and boisterous opinions from
when, I am pretty sure I could speak. He told me, as he often had to do, “Be quiet and look and listen.”
I am sure his wisdom and advice have tempered my thoughts throughout my
lifetime. Probably as much, since his
passing. So, I have held my tongue for a bit in this devastating chapter of our
history.
As the story of Newtown began to unfold and the
details proved amorphous from the very start, I listened and watched. I did so with
a physical ache in my stomach. I paid quiet attention as an aunt, sister,
teacher and citizen. Many times the
coverage was too much to bear; I monitored it in fragments often while shedding
bitter tears. I listened as veteran FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt broke down on
MSNBC. I listened as Newtowns’s, Monsignor Weiss spoke through tears to tell us
of a tiny victim who was to be an angel in the Christmas pageant. I shivered as
my niece said, “Oh Aunt, their presents are probably under the trees.” I listened as a young grieving father
described his daughter as a bright, creative and loving. I listened as Victoria Soto’s family and
friends described her courage and dedication to her kids until the very end of
her life. I watched as pundits and decision makers of varying perspectives sat
together on Meet the Press and quickly and easily found common ground, the
discussion proved meaningful and free of rhetoric. I
watched closely as the pro-gun politicians and spokespersons for the NRA absent
themselves from the conversation. I
watched so many reporters and broadcasters struggled with emotions in order to
deliver this ever-changing and evolving story. I listened and watched our
President console a town, state and nation, and I was buoyed by his willingness
to draw the line in the sand and by doing so spurring more Americans to
action. I spent a great deal of time
watching and listening and processing these events. It solidified many of my
already held opinions and evolved others, but it also revealed many of my opinions
as new truths. I took my dad’s advice and kept my eyes and ears open and my
mouth shut, as this horror unfolded.
But, the time has come to weigh in; as aunt whose
niece and nephew are the world, as a sister who shares the pain and unimaginable
grief of these families and our nation, as a teacher who spent a decade in a
classroom and know too well the efforts those brave educators endured until the
end, as a veteran courtroom clerk who worked each day with the possibility of
being a victim of violent act , as a
citizen and gun owner who is ready now to join the conversation and undertake
and support the efforts to address the violence, sickness, cultural and gun
issues facing each of us. I stand ready to act.
From the time I could hold a 20 gauge shotgun I spent
every warm Sunday at the rod and gun club with my dad. He was an avid sportsman. He respected guns
and taught me, a young girl in the 60’s to respect and use them responsibly. I learned to shoot a variety of guns;
revolvers, handguns, rifles and shotguns and became pretty darn good at
trap. I sold the shells, I loaded the
clay pigeon machine in the underground trap, I spent many a day commiserating
with my dad ‘s compatriots, and yes I was an anomaly back then, a gun toting gal
with a bouncy bob haircut and I am told,
an infectious smile and a wicked dead eye. I developed a respect for guns and a respect
for gun sports.
With good those foundations, I can tell you without doubt or
hesitation the following: No one wants to take my guns. It is an assault weapon. No one needs or should
posses an assault weapon (if you are desirous to fire one join the military). No
one needs or should posses high capacity clips and or armor piercing ammo. Gun
shows are not a loophole they are a canyon. Everyone should wait some value of
time to obtain a legally purchased gun. Guns are not solely responsible for
this and these recent tragedies. Children belong to all of us, whether in a
classroom in suburbia or in a public housing project in the inner city, each is
a precious gift who brings promise to this world.
This is a multifaceted issue and we must examine all
facets of this problem. Our culture is fraught with violence and in too many
households the violence is welcomed in, into our family rooms and children’s bedrooms
via video games, movies, smartphones and laptops. Stigmatization of diagnosing
and dealing with mental health challenges coupled with the rise of domestic
violence and bullying in our schools, looms large. Multimillion dollar firearms
and ammunition companies who hide behind the NRA and empower its long reach to
do their bidding are cowards. Our leaders have proved to be feckless over and
over again. Our Congress remains
constipated and dysfunctional filled with weak pols who are concerned with
raising money, serving special interests and planning the next election cycle
rather than making principled choices. Deep cuts from the social services
safety nets will only leave more at risk people with reduced treatment and
evaluation.
This conversation must continue on many levels and
we all share the responsibly to return a wholesome debate and action plan to
the fore. The time is now for action going forward. I end this rant with this
question…The last time you dropped your child for a play date or a study
session, did you ask the adults in that particular household “Do you have a gun
or guns or weapons in the house?” What
you do with the answer is yours alone as a parent or guardian but, let us start
this action in the grassroots of our own lives.
Rest in Peace
Charlotte Bacon, age 6
Daniel Barden, age 7
Olivia Engel, age 6
Josephine Gay, age 7
Ana M Marquez-Greene, age 6
Dylan Hockley, age 6
Madeleine F Hsu, age 6
Catherine V Hubbard, age 6
Chase Kowalski , age 7
Jesse Lewis, age 6
James Mattioli, age 6
Grace McDonnell, age 7
Emilie Parker, age 6
Jack Pinto, age 6
Noah Pozner, age 6
Caroline Previdi, age 6
Jessica Rekos, age 6
Avielle Richman, age 6
Benjamin Wheeler, age 6
Allison N Wyatt, age 6
Rachel Davino, age 29
Dawn Hochsprung, age 47
Anne Marie Murphy, age 52
Lauren Rousseau, age 30
Mary Sherlach, age 56
Victoria Soto, age 27
