Trying to Make Sense of Tragedy

If you have watched the news lately, it's not hard to figure out what the lead story is. The senseless massacre of innocent children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut is a nightmare and an unthinkable tragedy. We all hope it was only a bad dream, but when we wake up day after day, reality sets in once again - yes, it really did happen. There are many questions left unanswered, some questions probably won't ever be answered. I just cannot fathom what it must be like to be within a community that will be forever shaken by such a horrible event. I am hundreds of miles away from Connecticut and yet still feel close to the situation. I imagine many Americans and people around the world feel exactly the same way.

We have found out a few details regarding the killer. I am not mentioning his name because he doesn't need to be memorialized in any fashion. Apparently he was autistic, and people are quick to judge and say it's what caused him to kill 27 innocent people. Having autism does not automatically make a person "bad" and turn them into a killer. Obviously there is more to a person than just having a mental disease. They say he was quiet and described as a "loner." Some of his former classmates say they weren't surprised by his actions. Unfortunately nobody was able to step forward and lend a hand to this individual. Something obviously made him snap and he took it out in a gruesome manner. You know, not enough attention is ever brought towards mental health in this country. Obviously the killer had a problem and people knew it. Sadly, not enough was done to help this individual deal with his struggles in life. And 27 innocent victims had to pay for it.

In the days and weeks to come, gun control will become an issue of great importance in our country. As you can imagine, prior to this the focus was on the "Fiscal Cliff" and stalemate that exists within the government to solve this issue. Now an even greater issue is upon the representatives that make up the House and Senate, as well as our President. Something has to be done to combat these incidents from occurring time and time again. We need to look at better gun control measures, be it banning the purchase of semi-automatic weapons by any average American, stricter gun policies, etc. I am not an expert on guns and I do not propose the banning of all firearms in our country. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where hunting is a big thing. We need to tread carefully on this matter and reach a solution that'll make the majority of American's satisfied. Rifles used for hunting are ok in my view. But something has to be done with the use of semi-automatic weapons. If these murderers are able to shoot round after round of ammunition and kill dozens of innocent victims and reload in seconds, there's definitely something wrong with that.

There's a rather poignant song out there that really speaks to me during times like these. It was released in 1987 by the hair metal group White Lion. The song is titled "When the Children Cry." The lyrics talk of the evil that exists in our world, situations in which our children are born into and have to deal with as they grow. Unfortunately for 20 young children, they won't know what it's like to grow up, gone way, WAY too young in life. I just can't imagine how sick an individual has to be in order to shoot innocent six and seven year old children screaming and not knowing what is going on. You just have to hope they didn't have to suffer. And the teachers and support staff who tried to apprehend the shooter, unsuccessfully. They are regarded as heroes, some even trying to act as shields in front of children as they took on bullets to the body. It's a sad situation that any competent human being can never comprehend. My condolences to the families of those who lost individuals in this heinous act and may someday, you are able to find peace.