The headline today is about the shooting of innocent people in Aurora, CO. From what I have read, a gunman tossed tear gas into a crowded movie theater and then when people exited he shot them. The latest news is that there we 12 dead and 59 people wounded, many of the critically. Senseless.
Once again we are faced with the reality that almost anyone can buy a gun, and not just a gun, but an semi-automatic rifle that will shot as fast as one can pull the trigger. The NRA and other pro-gun groups will once again defend the right for anyone to purchase and own a gun. On the other side, the Brady Campaign, and countless mayors and police departments across the country will beg for some sort of sanity when it comes to gun sales and gun ownership. We live in the tension between the right “to bear arms” and the right to live in safety and to not be afraid of gunmen walking into a movie theater or a student walking into a school or a child killed in his bed because of a drive by shooting. Right now the the pro-gun groups are winning and the rest of us are losing.
In response to this tragedy the President has called for a day of prayer and reflection. Other updates today on Facebook and Twitter have been expressions of prayer for the people of Aurora, CO. All of which I understand and support. And, I have and will add my prayers. But one post I saw made more sense than all the rest. It read, “Prayers are never enough. And prayers are no excuse not to face up to the problem. We have a culture of violence and easy access to guns.”
Finally, something that makes sense.