Guns, Victims, and Solutions
Unless you have lost a child, in my case a son, or you are a very passionate and caring person, it may be difficult for you to empathize with the degree of pain that a parent endures after losing a child. Not only do you cry over your loss, but you cry over the losses of other parents whose hearts drip with blood and bodies tremble with fear as their psyche becomes contaminated with grief. They are dumbfounded by the corruption of the legal system that gave their child’s killer access to heavy weaponry. Yes, children die every day from natural causes and catastrophes, but to lose a child to a monstrous and fatal school shooting is unfathomable. Since Columbine in 1999, there have been an increasing number of active school shootings at elementary and high schools in America. Violence permeates across school campuses making it difficult for parents, students, teachers or school staff to feel safe. It seems as though bidding your children goodbye in the morning while giving them a light kiss on the forehead can un-expectantly turn into an “A Dieu.” Parents are left stunned in the aftermath of their loss and bathe themselves in the vast sea of confusion thinking… if I only knew… I would have… Sadly, the mentally disturbed student regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion walks side by side with the lively and jovial only to rob them of their breath and raison d’etre. They are like ghosts who walk through dark corridors of time to haunt the living or like snakes hidden in the crevices of walls waiting desperately to launch their deadly assaults on the innocent. Parents whose lives have forever changed lie in misery to lament the loss of their loved one until their bones are filled with fiery flames making them feel weak, helpless, and even unheard by those who promote the use of weapons. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is interested in capital gain at any cost. There are some who believe that if the Florida victims were the sons and daughters of people who promote, the gun lobby, and work for the NRA, Congress would require stricter gun control measures. In reality, these individuals are just as accountable and unconscientious as the deranged person who took the lives of 17 innocent victims. They will take the microphone for a few minutes to pass out condolences and think that their cold words will make a difference in the lives of parents who are left to linger and wonder – where do I go from here?
Wayne La Pierre, the CEO of the NRA who recently visited the White House, was compensated over 5 million dollars in 2015 for his ability to increase gun sales. One would think that the NRA would be shamed after such horrific mass shootings, but no, they boast at the increase in gun sales and compensate one another monetarily and psychologically reveling about what a great job they are doing. To them, the loss of lives is collateral damage since many of the high-profile shootings lead to a spike in gun sales. How hideous! After Omar Mateen’s Pulse nightclub rampage in Orlando — Americans bought 27 million guns, an all-time high for one year. The message here is keep killing the innocent so we can keep making money. Some people live with the twisted belief that if they had a gun to defend themselves, they will never die whereas in reality, more than 42% of the time, Victims used a gun in less than 1% of gun incidents. In fact, studies have found that using mace is equally effective as using a gun.
What can we do as grieving parents and students? We can use our anger and speak up! We must not stop until Congress is forced to pass bills that will place stricter measures on those who carry guns. More innocent people die from guns in America than any other country in the world. I commend the lie-ins and marches around the White House. We need to keep it up if we expect them to react. This is a grassroots effort to stop gun supporters from sitting in the Cabinet room at the White House and calling Nicolas Cruz “mentally disturbed, ” or “…Let’s tackle the difficult issue of mental health.” Tackling the issue of mental health is not the solution when only mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent 1 percent of all gun homicides each year. Many states have gun laws that are not enforced. We will find out what those laws are and hold states accountable. Congress is deadlocked on the issue of guns, but we are not!
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“Dr. Mary Assel is the retired director of the English Language Institute at Henry Ford College in Dearborn.”