Another Massacre of Small Children This Time in Uvalde Texas

Nearly 10 years ago, I reported a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty small children and six educators were killed by a lone, young man at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Prior to his attack on the school, he shot and killed his own mother.

This morning I woke up to read about another slaughter of innocents at an elementary school, this time in Uvalde, Texas. An 18-year-old boy massacred 19 children and two adults with weapons of mass destruction. Prior to his senseless attack on children, he took the life of his grandmother.

The similarity of these events is frightening.

When I wrote about Sandy Hook on December 14, 2012, I sincerely believed that our government would do something about the escalation of gun violence in America. I hoped that the lives of our nation’s children would become more important than the profits of gun manufacturers and gun sellers. I was terribly wrong. Our government’s motto, “profit before people,” remains intact. Now I have another date etched in my memory, and 21 additional deaths I will never forget May 24, 2022.

Please join me in demanding action from our useless and corrupt government in Washington. While you’re at it, tell them to relinquish their association with the NRA gun lobby which is a huge part of the problem, not the solution. If any of them dare to defend gun rights, tell them “f**k the Second Amendment. It makes no sense in the 21st century. The lives of innocents far outweigh the “right” to own a killing machine.

Writers are all about words, but I honestly don’t know what else to say. This is another day, another mass shooting, and I am sad and feel hopeless. No other country in the world has this problem. No other country in the world has a government as incompetent as ours.

I cannot count the number of times I felt obligated to write about gun violence in America, and I hate that fact. This is one of our nation’s big problems which can easily be repaired.

According to the authorities, the killer in Uvalde was armed with a handgun and an assault rifle he legally purchased at a gun store. It is easier to buy a weapon of mass destruction than a pack of cigarettes or a six-pack of beer. I don’t know anyone who was murdered by a cigarette or a beer can.

For years the NRA used fear to inspire ignorant Americans to purchase guns for self-defense. The truth is, break-ins are not a major problem. Today it is unsafe to go to a concert, attend a movie, go to a bar, attend a church service, go to a mall, or send your child to school. If you leave your home, you are in danger of losing your life.

The NRA is protecting 10 percent of all Americans who own 90 percent of all weapons of mass destruction.

I don’t need to repeat the changes needed to make our country safe. We all know what they are. Sadly, I have no doubt that our government will once again do nothing. The money they receive from the gun lobby, the NRA, is more important than your life or the lives of those you love, including small children. Once again, “the truth lives here.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

KSAT: Uvalde school shooting: At least 21 killed at Robb Elementary
Statesman: Live updates Wednesday: Beto O’Rourke confronts Gov. Greg Abbott at Uvalde press conference

Inset Image Courtesy of Fabrice Florin’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Barbara Brannon’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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