Prayers for those.....

Just so terribly saddened by the tragedy at VT. What a waste of life. I've been reading others' views on the situation and in some circles there is a bit of hysteria over non US citizens and gun ownership and gun ownership in general. There's also ramblings about more security and cracking down and how to keep this sort of thing from happening in the future.

I think its dangerous to pigeon hole people. All immigrants are not mass murderers. Most of them are hardworking, law abiding individuals who came to this country to seek a better life for themselves and their families. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how most of us got here? Aside from the Native Americans who were already here and those who were brought here against their will, I'd say we all fall into the immigrant category. I'd also point out that by immigrating to this country and seeking permanent resident status a person goes through a rigorous background check process that most US born and breds never receive.

As for gun ownership....I don't care for guns. I know how to use one, I choose not to personally. However, my husband, father, brother, BIL, uncles, cousins...all hunt. They have that right. They own guns. They have that right. They secure them properly and are responsible with them. I don't care for guns, but if they are purchased legally and cared for properly and securely, I don't have a problem with people owning them. I do have a problem with a disturbed young man, who has a known history of mental instability being allowed to purchase a gun. That needs to change.

I think at the bottom of this whole thing we need only focus on the fact that he was ill. He was most certainly mentally damaged and needed serious help. There are mentally ill people in our midst daily. We just don't know it. We go to work, we send our kids to school, we shop in stores and malls. The ill are all around us all the time. What makes a person crack? What is the straw that finally breaks the camel's back. Who knows?

Are we ever safe? NO. We are always in harms way, daily. We drive our cars, fly in planes, cross busy streets. We go up and down the stairs in our homes and handle sharp objects and cook on a hot stove. We use power tools and ride bikes and don't wear our helmets. We live in hurricane prone areas, or tornado alley or flood planes or on earthquake faults. We could be struck by lightening or drown in our own bathtub. We are never safe. So no matter what we do, it won't be enough. We will never solve all the world's problems. We just won't. That isn't to say we shouldn't take precautions. We prepare for what we can and then we get on with the business of life.

People like that young man are like bad weather. They come along now and then. They create havoc in their wake. We pick up the pieces and rebuild from the rubble and move forward. We pray for those lost and those who loved them. We learn a life lesson about not taking things for granted. We hold our loved ones a little closer. Then we move forward.