Why?

CHARLOTTE BACON

DANIEL BARDEN

RACHEL DAVINO

OLIVIA ENGEL

JOSEPHINE GAY

ANA G. MARQUEZ-GREENE

DYLAN HOCKLEY

DAWN HOCHSPRUNG

MADELEINE F. HSU

CATHERINE V. HUBBARD

CHASE KOWALSKI

JESSE LEWIS

JAMES MATTIOLI

GRACE MCDONNELL

ANNE MARIE MURPHY

EMILIE PARKER

JACK PINTO

NOAH POZNER

CAROLINE PREVIDI

JESSICA REKOS

AVIELLE RICHMAN

LAUREN ROUSSEAU

MARY SHERLACH

VICTORIA SOTO

BENJAMIN WHEELER

ALLISON N. WYATT

For me, the emotion that surfaces the most in relation to the Newtown massacre is anger.

Anger because it did not have to happen.
Anger because politicians don't have the backbone to stop this nonsense.
Anger because "We the People" have the power to say no to such tragedies but instead our selfish, fear-ridden, gun-loving selves have repeatedly said "Yes, go ahead."

"Go ahead" and kill innocent children.
"Go ahead" and slaughter young couples watching a movie.
"Go ahead" and murder and maim citizens at a political rally.
"Go ahead" and extinguish the hopes, dreams, and futures of college students.
"Go ahead" and gun down families as they Christmas shop in a mall.
"Go ahead" and snuff out your co-workers.
"Go ahead" and slay patients in a hospital.
"Go ahead" and randomly destroy a mother, brother, father, son, daughter, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, cousin, sister, brother, wife, husband, teacher, friend, neighbor, or colleague who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The time passed long ago for us to say "Are we out of our minds? This must stop!"

I recall a couple of years ago when I found some very old guns that used to belong to my father. My immediate reaction was to get rid of them by turning them into the police. When the officer came to the house he unbelievably asked me why I didn't just clean them up and sell them to a gun store in Virginia. Completely confused and shocked, I looked at him as if he had two heads and replied "because I don't want them on the street".

This is the insane culture we are dealing with.
This is the country we live in.
This is why I am certain that someone, somewhere, right now is methodically planning to once again murder a massive number of people.

And once again we will say "Yes, go ahead."

But it doesn't have to be this way.

We have to the power to change our future.
We have the power to save lives.
We have the power to stop this madness.

No one ever thinks it could happen to them. But it can.

Don't be silent. Demand change from our so-called leaders.

I've said my peace.

From the Washington Post...

...the air was thick with calls to avoid “politicizing” the tragedy. That is code, essentially, for “don’t talk about reforming our gun control laws.”  

Let’s be clear: That is a form of politicization. When political actors construct a political argument that threatens political consequences if other political actors pursue a certain political outcome, that is, almost by definition, a politicization of the issue. It’s just a form of politicization favoring those who prefer the status quo to stricter gun control laws. 

1. Shooting sprees are not rare in the United States.
“Since 1982, there have been at least 61 mass murders carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii,”

2. Eleven of the 20 worst mass shootings in the last 50 years took place in the United States.
Time has the full list here. In second place is Finland, with two entries. 

4. Of the 11 deadliest shootings in the US, five six have happened from 2007 onward. 

9. States with stricter gun control laws have fewer deaths from gun-related violence.

From The Atlantic, a country with a sane approach to gun ownership...

To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you'll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don't forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.

A few stats to contemplate from The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence...

• In 2010, guns took the lives of 31,076 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. This is the equivalent of more than 85 deaths each day and more than three deaths each hour.1
• 73,505 Americans were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal gunshot wounds in 2010.2
• Firearms were the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide in 2010, following poisoning and motor vehicle accidents.3
• Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period.4
• In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the U.S., however, every seven weeks.5