As I write this, my heart aches. Once again, we see another mass shooting in this country. This time, at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
19 children shot and killed. Two teachers shot and killed trying to protect their students. Many are in the hospital. Two students are still missing.
Earlier this month, it was at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. Before that, well, I can’t remember. And that’s the thing. I can’t remember because they have become too numerous. Too frequent.
It’s where we are. Someone gets a gun and just start’s shooting. Yesterday, it was school kids. School kids.
President Biden was emotional at the White House. “As a nation, we have to ask: When in God’s name are we gonna stand up to the gun lobby? Do what we all know in our gut needs to be done.”
Maybe, he’s right. It’s time to do something about this. Past time, really.
Look, I have a lot of friends who are good, responsible gun owners. I get it. They want to have guns. I choose not to own one.
What’s the answer here? I don’t know. I really don’t.
We will hear from many people in the coming days about this tragedy. One we have already heard from is actor Matthew McConaughey. Uvalde, Texas, is his hometown.
Here’s what he said on Twitter:
“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.”
‘The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves What is that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow? We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”
“As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue.”
“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”
Matthew McConaughey ends with this: “And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming.”
Like I said, we will hear from many others about what happened in Uvalde, Texas, yesterday. You won’t hear it said any better.