Skip to main content

There Is No Superman

Handguns.

Semi-automatic weapons.

Automatic weapons.

Street sweepers.

A mentally ill young man was able to buy a terrible weapon of mass destruction and used it to destroy several lives this weekend.

I struggle to make sense of the recent tragic shooting in Arizona as I hear the words of self-important politicians, political pundits and shock jocks ricocheting through the airwaves like so many bullets, each one believing they can repel those missile-like words like Superman.

There is no sense to be made of it.

There is no Superman.

It is true that there will never be a gun in my house. I made that decision 37 years ago and stand by it.

You can have a gun in your house, but you are not welcome to bring it to mine.

I believe with all my heart that guns have no place at a grocery store parking lot, and challenge anyone to explain why I might be wrong.

I have no answers, and only one question:

What is the argument for owning a weapon designed to kill man?

Comments

Rebecca said…
There is not a rational argument for a rapid fire weapon. I am pro-gun but this is a weapon designed to kill mass amounts of people very quickly.
I carry a weapon for protection and if I was there, I could have stopped this mad man. Why he was able to get a gun amazes me. That is the problem. No one took all the signs seriously. He was a crazy man for a long time and folks knew it. The school had a responsibility to notify the authorities and they should have checked him out. I do not want to lose my rights because of a mad man.
My prayers are with everyone effected by this insanity.
Anonymous said…
beautifully expressed!
apronsandappetites said…
Pray for the day when mental health issues are taken as seriously as all other health issues, and quality mental health care is available to all people. Getting help for a mentally disturbed adult person is a challenging process.
TC Caldwell said…
I hate guns. I do own one though, it's a water pistol :) I squirt my cat when she claws the furniture. It doesn't hurt her, just annoys her.
Fresh Garden said…
That's inspiring!
Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the visit. :)
Wonderful post. Really well written, and you've raised an issue I think everyone should really think about a bit more before deciding their stand.
menopausal mama said…
Guns scare the hell out of me---I have older kids and when they go to someone else's house, you just never know if there is a gun there. Thanks for sharing your blog.
menopause age said…
Its a big issue you have described its true there is no superman but I really hate guns and all those stuff which use to harm anyone. Thanks
Anonymous said…
I agree with apronsandappetites. Most of these mass shootings have been done by the hands of someone suffering with a mental illness. There's no doubt a gun can kill people however, so can any device known to man. If guns were banned, there is no doubt they would still be pushed through the black market or bought illegally and put into the hands of dangerous people. Now we have an issue where all the "bad" people have guns and the average joe is not protected and cannot protect his family if attacked. Lifestyles are different from Miami to Nebraska. On farms and in the rural areas, guns are used for protection of one's family or livestock against predators such as coyotes, wolves, mountain lions. These are real factors and these predators are increasing rapidly in numbers. Family pets are getting attacked and killed. Hunting is a way of life and is used to control deer and other wildlife population. It's a tragedy that a hunter cannot donate his meat to a food pantry anymore. But that's another story. Abolishing a constitutional right to bear arms is not safe for anybody. However, increased education on gun safety is the key.

Popular posts from this blog

Menopause

I am in menopause. I am at my beginning. Again, I have come of age. We all do it. We all do it differently – hormone replacement therapy; hot flashes; loss of sex drive; increased sex drive; the tragedy of new facial hair; fear of bone loss; antidepressants – and none of us know what will come next. Very few of us share our secrets. I have spent the last few years discussing these issues with girlfriends. We have shocked and surprised each other as well as found comfort in some of our common stories. After years of being single and keeping my eyes on nothing but my career, it was clearly time to take control of myself and my body. I had just gone through a record emotional dry spell. I felt very alone, but imagined that I was not in a place so different than other women. Women in the workplace spend years losing themselves in order to gain advancement that, even if it does come, won’t be as satisfying as they thought. It is that time in your late thirties, often through your forties, t

On The Radio

I often find myself sitting on the subway holding my book, not really reading, but watching what everyone is up to around me. Today I hoped no one was watching me. I left my office around four-thirty scurrying like a rat to get to my five o’clock appointment. I was busy today, but not so busy I couldn’t have left a few minutes earlier. There was no reason for me to be flying down the street grousing at the people who weren’t walking quite as fast as I was on my way to the subway. I ran down the stairs and slid my MetroCard through the turnstile just as the uptown 1 Train pulled into the station. The train was crowded, but I managed to get a seat. I should have been embarrassed as I rolled my eyes because the woman next to me took up a little more space than the plastic molded seats allowed. At the 96th Street station a tired-looking woman entered my subway car. She was probably ten years younger than I and looked five years older. Her expression was flat; the look of a woman

How Do You Decide Whom To Marry?

OK… I admit that these kid quotes have been ‘borrowed’ ;-) A friend sent these sage words in an e-mail this evening. As I read it a flood of memories raced through my mind ranging from my own recent dating exploits to Art Linkletter’s Kids Say the Darndest Things. If you’re too young to remember Mr. Linkletter’s House Party, take a moment to watch this fabulous YouTube clip. You won’t regret giving up the seven minutes and thirteen seconds of your life. These kids are hysterical… How do you decide whom to marry? You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10 No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.... -- Kristen, age 10 What is the right age to get married? Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by the