There was a terrible incident of gun violence in my town last night. The shooting happened one block north and a handful of blocks east of where our family used to live.
Another local friend commented about the event on their social media pointing out that this sort of thing can now happen literally anywhere in the United States and it prompted me to recall how gun violence has impacted my life.
No, I've never been shot. Though I can name four people just off the top of my head who I knew and who died due to gun violence.
I shared the story of how I, thankfully, just missed out on arriving on-scene where a shooting took place. I was scheduled to be there, but I didn't go. Good thing, too, as I would have likely shown up just prior or during a mass shooting.
I shared another story, too. The one that made one cousin a widow and another a pariah. I decided to do some online digging as that particular case made local headlines in the small town where that part of my family lived. It's been fifteen years since that happened, and the woman who killed my cousin's husband is free.
Far be it from me to assess whether she should be or not. She got her days in court and her defense convinced a jury that it was manslaughter and not murder. But in my digging online, I'm fairly certain that I found her Facebook profile and that, in itself, just sits oddly with me.
Honestly, I don't where else to go with this. I did think about commenting on the clearly political content that this woman had on her profile. Pointing out the unsurprising nature of her political stance, for instance. But I guess I also don't really think it is worth my time. I started typing this all out because I wanted to note that, yet again, gun violence has impacted a community close to me. Is it frustrating to also learn that the woman who took the life of a man I knew for years is also a big supporter of the very people who are bought and paid for by the NRA? Yes. But will it change anything if I smear her on this teensy blog of mine? No.
So, as I sit here right now, I think about the friends and family that I've lost. I think about James and note that the baby he never met would be about 25 years old now. I think about Courtney and about how her family could have lived without the trauma and sadness of watching their mother die. I think about Jon and his infectious smile and how proud he would be of the grandbabies he never knew. But I shouldn't bother. They're gone, lives cut short because of the presence of a gun.
Another local friend commented about the event on their social media pointing out that this sort of thing can now happen literally anywhere in the United States and it prompted me to recall how gun violence has impacted my life.
No, I've never been shot. Though I can name four people just off the top of my head who I knew and who died due to gun violence.
I shared the story of how I, thankfully, just missed out on arriving on-scene where a shooting took place. I was scheduled to be there, but I didn't go. Good thing, too, as I would have likely shown up just prior or during a mass shooting.
I shared another story, too. The one that made one cousin a widow and another a pariah. I decided to do some online digging as that particular case made local headlines in the small town where that part of my family lived. It's been fifteen years since that happened, and the woman who killed my cousin's husband is free.
Far be it from me to assess whether she should be or not. She got her days in court and her defense convinced a jury that it was manslaughter and not murder. But in my digging online, I'm fairly certain that I found her Facebook profile and that, in itself, just sits oddly with me.
Honestly, I don't where else to go with this. I did think about commenting on the clearly political content that this woman had on her profile. Pointing out the unsurprising nature of her political stance, for instance. But I guess I also don't really think it is worth my time. I started typing this all out because I wanted to note that, yet again, gun violence has impacted a community close to me. Is it frustrating to also learn that the woman who took the life of a man I knew for years is also a big supporter of the very people who are bought and paid for by the NRA? Yes. But will it change anything if I smear her on this teensy blog of mine? No.
So, as I sit here right now, I think about the friends and family that I've lost. I think about James and note that the baby he never met would be about 25 years old now. I think about Courtney and about how her family could have lived without the trauma and sadness of watching their mother die. I think about Jon and his infectious smile and how proud he would be of the grandbabies he never knew. But I shouldn't bother. They're gone, lives cut short because of the presence of a gun.
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