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the other day, my nephew’s high school received reports of a rumored potential school shooting. they worked with the police to assess the situation and determined it wasn’t a credible threat. some children were scared to go to school that next day. what if, right?

i’m thinking about the trauma these children are experiencing. seeing mass shootings, having drills, seeing armed security guards, police or teachers daily, having to carry the possibility of dying, all while trying to learn, make friends, and grow.

we often focus on the lives lost, but what about the lives of those who have survived but have been traumatized physically and emotionally? i’m thinking of them. 

i know someone who survived the 2017 Vegas shooting. at some point we may all know someone who has survived/not survived a mass shooting. maybe it will be us.

is this what we want? a reality where there’s access to a weapon that can mow numerous people down at a movie, a doctor’s office, a concert, a bank, a school, a park, a grocery store, a restaurant. what’s your plan? can you run faster than a spray of 30 or a 100 rounds?

all of this death and trauma, for access to a weapon that was made for war, then modified for commercial use so companies can make money feeding off fear and an unhealthy relationship to violence.

a poll in 2022, showed that 67% of Americans strongly or somewhat support banning assault-style weapons. 

the traits of mass shooters have spanned race, religion, ideology, gender, orientation, motive. but they’ve had one commonality – the weapon of choice that kills the most people and does the most damage in the least amount of time.

why are we allowing access to a weapon of war, a crowd killer, even at the cost of children being slaughtered?

why aren’t we elevating empathy, thoughtfulness, warm-heartedness, kindness, compassion, common sense, and wisdom? 

this moment in history is calling on us to RISE to this moment, this need, this crisis and answer with love and wisdom.

~j

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