This morning, I, like many of you, woke up to the terrible news of the shootings in Colorado. I watched with a sinking heart as they described the scene: the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," a packed theater, a gunman with tear gas, four weapons, and body armor. Twelve dead, fifty wounded. Fifty people. I cannot imagine.
We've all been inside a movie theater. The fear and terror these people must have felt - first thinking the gunman was just putting on a stunt, and then to realize, with horror, it was real. It really struck a cord with me since I took Scott to his first movie this past Tuesday. Then I thought about my husband, as Brian attended the midnight showing last night at a local theater. In fact, I slept in the other room so when he got home at 3am, he didn't wake me. There was a tiny part of me that wondered if he did come home, or if something like this happened in Vegas, too. And then I thought about my sweet friend from college, Jill, who lives in Denver and is a professor at the University of Colorado. I hope she and her family are safe and relatively unaffected by this tragedy.
The therapist in me worries that long after the media coverage has ended, the theater has been cleaned, and the shooter has been brought to justice, the wounds will still remain. The pain felt by the families who lost a loved one, and the trauma experienced by the people who were a part of this chaotic, terrifying experience. What this man did was wound the psyches of many, many people. We may never know why, but his actions will last a long time. It breaks my heart.
I try to (mostly) avoid politics on this blog, but indulge me this one time. I can't help but shake my fist at gun control in this country. All four weapons used in the shooting were legally purchased in the state of Colorado. It angers me that people who have no business purchasing firearms are able to do so and then use them in such a way, it changes lives forever. When the Columbine shooting happened in 1999, I was living in Ireland at the time. Irish friends looked so confused (and saddened) by the events, and innocently inquired, "Why are guns legal in your country?" My response: we have the constitutional right to bear arms. Amending the constitution is kind of a big deal, not to mention a slippery slope. So despite the fact that amendment was written when militias roamed this country (and we were just a tiny, newborn nation), it still stands today, despite our relatively peaceful times. People like the gunman can destroy lives without a second thought. When are we going to wise up and not allow this to happen anymore? If you have a different opinion that I do, that's fine and feel free to share your thoughts. Just please be respectful.
(And I know some of you are attorneys ::ahem, Jay:: that have a very good understanding of constitutional law, so please let me know if I'm missing something or my facts are wrong).
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Colorado today.
We've all been inside a movie theater. The fear and terror these people must have felt - first thinking the gunman was just putting on a stunt, and then to realize, with horror, it was real. It really struck a cord with me since I took Scott to his first movie this past Tuesday. Then I thought about my husband, as Brian attended the midnight showing last night at a local theater. In fact, I slept in the other room so when he got home at 3am, he didn't wake me. There was a tiny part of me that wondered if he did come home, or if something like this happened in Vegas, too. And then I thought about my sweet friend from college, Jill, who lives in Denver and is a professor at the University of Colorado. I hope she and her family are safe and relatively unaffected by this tragedy.
The therapist in me worries that long after the media coverage has ended, the theater has been cleaned, and the shooter has been brought to justice, the wounds will still remain. The pain felt by the families who lost a loved one, and the trauma experienced by the people who were a part of this chaotic, terrifying experience. What this man did was wound the psyches of many, many people. We may never know why, but his actions will last a long time. It breaks my heart.
I try to (mostly) avoid politics on this blog, but indulge me this one time. I can't help but shake my fist at gun control in this country. All four weapons used in the shooting were legally purchased in the state of Colorado. It angers me that people who have no business purchasing firearms are able to do so and then use them in such a way, it changes lives forever. When the Columbine shooting happened in 1999, I was living in Ireland at the time. Irish friends looked so confused (and saddened) by the events, and innocently inquired, "Why are guns legal in your country?" My response: we have the constitutional right to bear arms. Amending the constitution is kind of a big deal, not to mention a slippery slope. So despite the fact that amendment was written when militias roamed this country (and we were just a tiny, newborn nation), it still stands today, despite our relatively peaceful times. People like the gunman can destroy lives without a second thought. When are we going to wise up and not allow this to happen anymore? If you have a different opinion that I do, that's fine and feel free to share your thoughts. Just please be respectful.
(And I know some of you are attorneys ::ahem, Jay:: that have a very good understanding of constitutional law, so please let me know if I'm missing something or my facts are wrong).
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Colorado today.
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