STOP KILLING CHILDREN!

My fellow Americans, we have failed. 

We have failed, as a people, as a nation, and as human beings. We The People, permit far too frequently, the murder of our young. I don't give a damn which 'side' you think you're on. In allowing these murders to continue, you have failed. I have failed. We have failed. Now before anyone starts rambling on about their 'rights' and the God-Damned 2nd Amendment (which most of you have probably not actually read), think about this: WE MURDER OUR OWN CHILDREN! Just because YOU or I didn't squeeze the trigger does NOT mean that WE ALL don't SHARE THE BLAME. Guns are too easily obtained. Plain and simple. Serious, reasonable background checks are not unthinkable, and shouldn't be unthinkable. Proper licensure AND insurance coverage should be mandatory. You want to own a gun? I have no problem with that. You want to hunt or protect your home? Again, no problem. BUT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. Every round fired by anyone reflects on each of us. Yes, there are guns that are acquired illegally. Do I have the ultimate answer for that? No. We also have an excess of guns. Look up the numbers. We could easily arm the entire country. Some of those guns are going to slip through the cracks. Guns get lost and stolen. Our so-called law enforcement doesn't seem to do much about those. Maybe they figure gun owners can just report it to their homeowner's insurance. But the gun is still out there. Where is the accountability? For every gun made, there is a record. Manufacturing, sales, serial numbers (and yes, those can too easily be scratched off...another problem to fix). Guess what, other weapons can kill children too. Bombs require some skill, knowledge and time to prepare. That will slow down a killer. Knives can kill, but only one person at a time. It's slow. Poison can kill and the killer doesn't even have to be present, so why are guns the go-to choice? Ease of availability. That's why.

I have friends who are teachers, from preschool through universities. I worry about them daily as much as I worry about the students. As a kid, I loathed fire drills. It breaks my heart to think of kids across this country having to sit through active shooter drills. Teachers should be allowed to teach. They shouldn't have to have paramilitary skills. They sure as hell don't get paid enough to teach, let alone combat killers. 

I'm sick of school shootings. I'm sick of mass shootings. I'm sick of hearing about manifestos. This country has a serious mental health crisis and it's resulting in our children being murdered. I saw this picture today and it broke my heart. No child, anywhere, should ever have to fear going to school for any reason. The allegedly United States of America need to take education seriously. Without it, and without our children, we have no future.