Guns

When kids are hurt by guns I get upset. I think about the hundred of kids I've taught and I think about the holes in systems that are supposed to stop kids from experiencing such terror. I also think about how children in the United States are exposed to gun violence all too frequently -- not just in atrocities like the shooting in Newtown, but in their neighborhoods and communities where violence in commonplace. 

Here's what's clear to me:

1. There are too many guns.
2. Guns beget gun violence. There's not another way around it. More guns mean more gun deaths.
3. Laws requiring background checks simply do not keep guns out of the hands of crazy people. 
4. The Second Amendment wasn't written with assault weapons in mind.
5. To make meaningful reductions in the number of gun deaths something meaningful must be done in the way of decreasing the number of guns, limited access to guns, enforcing gun laws and providing social supports.
6. Social supports must include money for education, mental healthcare and social services like programs to help people with criminal backgrounds find jobs (among many other things). These things cost money but they are worth the cost.

What will we do about it? At this point I think that something will happen. Let's hope it's smart and soon.