I recently saw a video on the internet where there was an experiment conducted on what a child could legally purchase. A teenage boy, yet old enough to drive, was driven around the city by his mother to attempt to purchase some items.He went to various stores and attempted to purchase cigarettes, beer, and X-rated magazines. In each case he was turned down with the reminder that he was not old enough to buy them. His mother then drove him to a gun show. There he was able to legally purchase a gun.
I know that when discussing gun control there are some who immediately scream '2nd Amendment'. But what many forget is at the time that the 2nd Amendment was written, guns were very different from what we have today. The automatic weapons of today fire many more rounds per minute than those that were actually around in 1791.
We need to join with our young people in demanding that our schools become places of learning. We need our teachers to be armed, not with guns, but with the necessary books and tools to effectively educate our children, Our teachers need to be trained, not in the use of weapons, but in the best practices and methods for educating our children.
We need to contact our representatives on the local, state, and national level and demand that our schools return to their original purpose. It's time to look at common sense gun laws, availability of mental health care, and community supports for parents struggling with raising their children.
Finally, it's time for the faith community to come together, not for a vigil, and not just for prayer, but to strategize and plan for how we can provide spiritual and moral education for our communities. Our public schools were once a place of learning and safety. They can become that again.