My heart is heavy for a community that is mourning. For a country that is asking why? For a country that is asking why, again? For families that are feeling numb. There are so many questions that all of us are asking and don't have the answers for. This has us thinking, deeply. All I do know, is that there are no easy answers to all of this.
People are crying out, "Gun Control!" But, gun control is not going to solve this problem. It is only a part of the solution. Think about the times that guns have not been used to kill people. Bombs have been used. Chemicals have been used. Airplanes have been used. Yes, I think there should be some gun control. I said some. I believe in the right to bear arms. I think there is a line that should not be crossed by the general public though. My husband is a hunter and a responsible gun owner. I believe that people have a right to own a gun to provide food for their families and/or people in need. We have family and friends who donate their hunting harvest to organizations that feed people in need. I am not the only one who believes that gun control is not the whole answer. This blog was brought to my attention this morning and has some good points. The reality is, there are responsible gun owners. And then there are the other gun owners. And then I think the problem lies within the person behind the gun much of the time, but not always.
Why does the problem not always lie with the person behind the gun? I think that sometimes these people have a mental illness. I also read this blog this morning, about a mother of a boy living with mental illness, who struggles to care for her son. Her story will make you think twice about judging the family of one of these people. Our country is failing these people who need help and can't get it. I'm not saying to lock these people up and throw away the key. There must be a better solution than that. There has to be a humane way to help them.
I also think that our country has lost it's morals. We've taken God out of our schools. What our country was founded on is no longer allowed in the school systems. Yes, maybe some thought patterns of the past needed to be changed, but there are some fundamental ideals that are sorely missing. Even if you don't believe in God, you can't argue the benefits of the Ten Commandments. Can you? They are basic standards of how to treat others as well as yourself. Our country has lost sight of that. In the effort to accept everyone, we are also accepting people behaving badly. Our country has become very selfish. Am I on a soapbox right now? Maybe. But, I firmly believe this is a very big part of the problem!
This video states much of what I believe.
Many of my regular readers are aware that I am a homeschooling mom. When my oldest was approaching Kindergarten age, the massacre at Columbine happened. I could not imagine the pain those families were going through. What the students experienced at such a young age. It was at that time, that we started hearing about homeschooling and learned about it. There have been difficult days, but we don't regret our choice to homeschool. When we hear about these events on the news, we are even more grateful that we homeschool. Now, there is a place for public and private schools. Homeschooling is not for everyone. We have family and friends who are working in the public and private schools. I'm glad they are. The schools need people like them.
Like I said, there are no easy answers. And we may never really know why. And this is what I have been thinking while thinking about Sandy Hook. I pray that God wraps His arms around all those who are hurting in the wake of this tragedy.
