Tag Archive for shoot

Some Good in the Midst of Anguish

May 4, 2020 Comments Off on Some Good in the Midst of Anguish

Although I’m deeply saddened by the daily news of even more people’s lives being taken by the coronavirus, I’m heartened by what is suddenly NOT in the news–shootings, small and large. Until the last few months, shootings were a daily occurrence.

In my fantasy world, when we come out of this pandemic, that particular lack of news will continue. In my perfect civilian world, guns will be used for sport only–target shooting and humane hunting. I’d like to think this virus has killed off another virus, that of hatred and bigotry that leads us to taking up guns to kill each other. I’d like to think that this experience we’re sharing reminds us that, despite our differences, we are all part of and responsible for the human family.

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I Could Have Lost My Son

July 29, 2019 Comments Off on I Could Have Lost My Son

I was very shaken. I’ve seen news of mass shootings in various cities. I’ve prayed for the victims and their families and felt a lump in my heart for them. But this was different.  My son and his girlfriend decided at the last minute not to go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. If they had gone, they would be there when the shooter killed three people, including a 6-year-old, and injured a dozen others. Life is such a precious gift, one we must make an effort to protect from the rampant violence in our country. Each of us must put pressure on our lawmakers to make fair and equitable laws that address issues of mental health, gun safety, responsible gun ownership.  In our own lives, we must confront violence in any form we encounter—bullying, domestic violence, road rage, animal cruelty, taunts on social media—because those things perpetuate the culture of violence that is killing our loved ones and our souls.

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A Day to Celebrate Being Human

December 10, 2018 Comments Off on A Day to Celebrate Being Human

Seventy years ago today, in 1948, the U.N. adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That’s pretty good–that many countries agreeing on something. With all the burnings and shootings of people in various houses of worship, with all the greed reflected on corporations taking naturally occurring water to bottle or polluting it, all for profit , leaving the local inhabitants to go to war over what’s left, with the inequities in justice systems ensuring that the poor will live in jail and the rich will buy their way out, with human slavery and degradation–what this declaration means should be taken to heart:

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers us all.
  • Human rights are relevant to all of us, every day.
  • Our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values.
  • Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace.
  • Whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk.
  • We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.

Something worth thinking about today and practicing every day.

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Ellen DeGeneres Offers Hope

October 10, 2017 Comments Off on Ellen DeGeneres Offers Hope

I needed a dose of good old fashioned positive HOPE. Too much  tragedy, death and destruction from disasters, threat of war and fallout from nuclear-testing in my Pacific Ocean (I live in California), senseless shootings…. These are far from happy times.

But Ellen DeGeneres had a message of hope that’s uplifting without being maudlin.  If you missed it, here it is:  (Thank you, Ellen.)

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Dog Shoots Man

February 12, 2016 Comments Off on Dog Shoots Man

Here’s a switch: a dog shot a man.  It’s a clear case of self-defense, though.

A Florida man tried to find homes for a litter of puppies but finally gave up.  Instead, he decided to shoot them.  He held a pup in each hand.  The one in the gun hand hit the trigger with his paw, shooting the man.  Authorities found three of the pups buried in the yard and the other four healthy.  The man ended up in the hospital.

Read more details at http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5950304/ns/health-pet_health/t/puppy-shoots-florida-man-deputies-say/#.VrzTW_IrKM9.

Would you convict the shooter?  I wouldn’t.

 

 

 

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The Responsibility for Andy’s Death

October 25, 2013 2 comments

Someone is to blame for the Sheriff’s shooting 13-year-old Andy Lopez, a kid out playing.  Here are the possible guilty parties:

The 24-year veteran sheriff’s deputy who shot the Santa Rosa teen after Andy didn’t heed his commands to put down the gun.

The perpetrators of tragic mass shootings such as Sandy Hook and Columbine, whose actions slither into the minds of law enforcement when faced with guns and kids.

Andy, who waved the gun around playfully and refused the deputy’s repeated orders to put it down.

The friend who let Andy borrow a toy that was so realistic as to put Andy into potential danger.

The father, who told Andy several times to be careful but didn’t take the replica AK 47 away from him before he went out into public.

The manufacturer, who made the orange tip–indicating that this was only a toy–easy to break off rather than an integral part of the toy.

Society in general, which glorifies people using guns to kill in war, hunting, and stand-your-ground, and which encourages everyone to exercise his Constitutional right to carry a gun, have one on the night stand, put one under his store/shop’s counter, and collect weapons such as the AK 47 whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people (unless you’re a hunter with bad aim and no intention to eat your kill).

Who’s to blame for the death of Andy Lopez?

 

 

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Bostonians Should Have Been Armed

May 6, 2013 2 comments

Boston should have been better armed, says the NRA. All households should have had guns to protect themselves from the escaping bombers.  They would have been safer and not as fearful or nervous.

I agree, but only with a few provisions during an actual incident: 1) The family’s designated shooter (Guardian) must have completed formal training in handling and shooting the specific gun he’s armed with.  2) The Guardian must have taken courses (e.g., meditation) to learn to calm himself in extremely stressful situations and focus his attention and vigilance on his Guardianship role.  3) The gun must be registered so that if it is wrested from him in a scuffle with the perpetrators it can be returned to him when it’s recovered. 4) The family must all be home and stay in a designated safe-room so that they don’t startle the focused Guardian, possibly causing him to shoot a loved one. They must stay there, no matter how many hours or days it takes, until the perpetrator is captured and announced by the authorities as in police custody. 5) All doors and windows must remain locked until capture is announced.  6) No pets will be allowed outside to relieve themselves, as noise that they make may cause a neighbor-Guardian to panic and waste bullets on the family dog.  7) The police must notify the homeowner in advance of storming his home or property so that a shoot-out between them and the Guardian doesn’t accidentally occur.

With these seven simple provisions, a community can be ready for any threat it may face. Its people can relax in the safety of their own homes, as is the American way.

 

 

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