JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Dear readers. I had a lighthearted post about my trip to Dc last week ready to go, but I have no light in my heart right now.
As I write this, Lewiston, Maine has joined the terrible club of places where a mass shooting has shattered daily life and the sense of safety. As of 10:40PM Wednesday night, there are some 16 to 22 people dead, with 50 to 60 reported injured.
The average annual homicide rate for the entire state of Maine is in the low 20s.
Maine has never suffered from a mass shooting before, and I have to confess I felt a sense of security and pride in the level-headedness in my state.
I don't feel safe anymore.
Lewiston is an hour away from where I live, a half-hour from my daughter Victoria's home. Her boyfriend lives in the small city of 37,000 people. She works for the hospital that's now responding to this mass casualty event. Even this far away, my kids and I are all sheltering in place while the gunman is at large.
I don't know anyone that might have been injured or killed. But I'm still struck with grief, and shock, and horror. I can't imagine how the families of the people affected are feeling right now.
And I find myself asking, as I have when the news has been so much farther away and so much less personal - how much longer?
How many more dead?
We are stunned, horrified, and sick with grief over this . . . but relieved to know that you and your kids are okay . . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joan.
DeleteJulia, head bowed in shared grief and horror. The best public response to gun violence I've ever seen was when a politician told a medical professional "to stay in your lane" in terms of gun control legislation. Medical professionals across the country responded with stark photos of why it is their lane.-- why gun violence should be considered a public health issue. But if those drs and nurses couldn't make a dent in political posturing, I don't know what will.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Anon.
DeleteSorry, above comment by flora
ReplyDeleteGun violence is a reason we are seriously looking at moving abroad. Not so much that we feel personally unsafe, although shootings aren’t uncommon here. But because it’s heartbreaking to live in a country where there isn’t enough political will to do something.
ReplyDeleteHoping everyone remains safe.
Thanks, Lisa. The county and many other areas are in lockdown this afternoon.
DeleteOh, no. I'm just now waking up to this news. There truly is no place that's safe anymore.
ReplyDeleteI thought we were for the longest time, Annette. It's heartbreaking.
DeleteI just saw that on the news and am having trouble processing it. My brother lived and worked in Lewiston for a few years. We lived in MA and spent most of our vacations in Maine. I have family that lives in Maine too which I will be reaching out to later this morning.
ReplyDeleteThis feels like it's hitting all of Maine, Paula, so that's a good idea.
DeleteNo, no. Just woke up and saw the news of this senseless gun violence in Lewiston. So sorry this horrific event has happened so close to you, Victoria & her boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Grace. It's so... I don't know. Unreal.
DeleteJulia, if Congress was not moved by Sandyhook, is there anything that will do it? I am shocked and broken hearted at this news.
ReplyDeleteJudy, I so agree! (Flora)
DeleteJudy, I totally agree. If we as a nation could not stand up and do the right thing after little children and their teachers were mowed down, what is there to do? I've been downhearted ever since Sandy Hook and completely disgusted with politicians who seem to have no moral fiber.
DeleteI also lost hope for any action after Sandy Hook - and I should say that I'm comfortable being around guns. I'm from a military family and I've lived in a state with a strong hunting tradition for most of my life. It's not guns. It's automatic and semi-automatic assault weapons.
DeleteI'm so sorry, Julia. I just heard. Horrible news, and horrible that someone thinks killing a bunch of strangers is the solution to ANYTHING - and has the ability to acquire a weapon making it possible. May you and your loved ones and everyone else stay safe.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Edith. We're all kind of sheltering in place. I can't believe they haven't caught the suspect yet.
DeleteIn 1965, Dr. King speaking at a protest rally said: "how long? Not Long." In 1968 he was killed by a gun. How long will this country stay with idea of untrained use of lethal weapons? Do we shrug our shoulders murmuring 'haters gotta hate?' or do we listen to the words that finally stopped Joseph McCarthey when Joseph Welch asked him "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" during the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954.
ReplyDeleteIf we as a nation do not listen with open hearts, and open minds then violence will continue to breed violence. Today my aspiration is to try to be the best Coralee can be. Today I can offer more than thoughts, words prayers. Today I can listen, and donate to any group that promotes ending lethal weapons. Thank you Julia for your eloquence. Thank you my friends here at JRWs for keeping it real. May we together find the way to peace.
Other countries have angry people, mentally ill people, people with closed hearts, etc. but what they have is close to zero gun fatalities because they have strict gun controls. We do not. This will continue to be a major problem in this country.
DeleteCoralee, what a beautiful comment and a beautiful aspiration.
DeleteI am so sorry it has come so close to you and loved ones, Julia. My husband and I moved to Portugal because of the gun violence which only grows worse. Like you, we wonder when will it stop? What will it take? I love my country, but you said it well: no place is safe (in the U.S.) anymore. Although we can appreciate the reduced stress living here, we still worry about loved ones in the U.S. None of them live in cities afflicted so far, but we know that could change over night. I grieve for all the deaths and injuries that have already occurred.
ReplyDeleteThat's what feels so awful to me right now, Elizabeth; I lived under the wrong assumption it only happened in other place, not in beautiful, rural Maine.
DeleteJulia, so much sadness and fear. Sandy Hook, Parkland, Lewiston only varying degrees of (personal) separation. Thank you for having words. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elisabeth.
DeleteI echo Coralee and Elisabeth: Julia -- thank you for keeping it real and thank you for your words. When I heard the news late yesterday, my thoughts went immediately to you and yours. And Celia, too. I send love and desperate wishes for a better world...
ReplyDeleteLove and desperate wishes sounds about right, Amanda...
DeleteMy daughter had just started an appearance in a public debate in Portland last evening when the first news broke and the event was abruptly canceled. My niece works at Bates. It's all sickening. I had tears in my eyes reading the headlines. I, too, somehow thought Maine was safe from this grievous scourge. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteI hope your niece is safe and not too shaken, Selden.
Delete💔 is how I feel. The world is on fire and no place is safe anymore. I am glad you and yours are safe, Julia. Suzette Ciancio
ReplyDeleteThank you, Suzette.
DeleteJulia, I learned about this reading your post.
ReplyDeleteMass shooting are so scary, incomprehensible and horrible.
I’m sorry to learn it happened so close to you and family’s members and my heart goes to all those who are affected by this hateful action.
Danielle
Thanks, Danielle. "Scary, incomprehensible and horrible" was just what I was feeling following the news last night.
DeleteWords fail me.
ReplyDelete...
DeleteFrom Celia; just waking up to this horrific news. I’m so sad for the families and community. When will we come to our senses over gun control in the USA? How many lives cut off.
ReplyDeleteHolding you for safety, Celia. Indoors and doors locked! So very sad and scary and infuriating.
DeleteAgree with Edith, Celia - the fact it's been 14 hours since the suspect's car was found and he still hasn't been caught means he could be anywhere.
DeleteAnd now Maine. We're no longer safe anywhere. Ohio has permitless concealed carry. I no longer shop at stores that allow guns. Take care.
ReplyDelete"And now Maine" is just how it feels, Margaret. No longer our safe refuge from the crazy parts of the country.
DeleteOh, Julia - we woke up to this terrible news and of course. And I thought: in MAINE?? But why not... seems like it's everywhere. Last year there was a mass shooter in the subway station right outside my grandchildren's elementary school in Brooklyn. The kids got to execute for real the "shelter in place" drill they'd been practicing. Once again, we are all "holding hands" metaphorically and praying that this will end soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is so shocking to me as an adult, Hallie - it makes me wonder what we're doing to our kids mental health to constantly expose them to threats of this kind of violence?
DeleteThis is a tragic day for the State of Maine. I am heartsick for those impacted directly and furious that this madness is allowed to continue. Owning guns for hunting is one thing. (Not my thing, but I know many who hunt here in Maine.) But no one needs automatic weapons to hunt, and responsible hunters are the first ones to say that. The cowardly legislators (state and federal) who piously refuse to ban assault weapons should be shamed, day in and day out.
ReplyDeleteThat comment was me, Brenda Buchanan
DeleteStay safe, Brenda!
DeleteAgreed, Brenda. We've always prided ourselves on a state where people know how to use firearms safely. That feeling is gone, now.
DeleteWhen did human life become so cheap? Not just in humans as AR-15 fodder, but not according dignity to all others, including those with skin a "different" skin color, or a religion that is not of a particular flavor, or who can't manage their own mental health/finances/personal affairs?
ReplyDeleteWhen did it become okay to hate, too--to have such utter disdain for those who think differently in a political way, heck, even be fans of different sports teams? What's to blame? Constant bombardment of electronic input, lots of it inflammatory? A failing education system? A falling away from traditional religious values? Such public airings of foibles that shame is no longer part of the societal control system? Or is it a response to the inequality of the haves and have nots?
How is it even possible to fix this? When our leaders refuse to actually lead, and would rather grab power and count coup on one another, why do we expect anything to change for the better?
Julia and Celia, I was holding you both in my heart last night when I heard about this. Stay safe, dear ones, and may this insanity somehow end.
Well said, Karen. I can't add anything more. Heartbreaking for all.
DeleteWell put.
DeleteKaren you wisely ask, "How is it even possible to fix this? When our leaders refuse to actually lead, and would rather grab power and count coup on one another"
DeleteThe NRA and gun manufacturers give millions of dollars to those politicians in office who then support the continued use of guns. AR-15 and similar type guns should not be sold period. They are weapons of war designed with one purpose in mind and that is to kill as many people as quickly as possible.
In addition to Julie and Celia, I'm also holding all our other Portland area author pals for safety: Barb Ross, Dick Cass, Bruce Coffin, Brenda Buchanan (who commented above), and others.
DeleteThank you for adding the others, Edith. I was hard put this morning to think of who else was in harm's way, I was just so shocked.
DeleteAnon, I so agree. Americans have been sold a bill of goods about "self-protection". WAY too many believe their property is so sacrosanct that they can expend other humans' lives if it's threatened in any way, including teenagers crossing their lawns. That's not a "threat", and it just appalls me that so many citizens have been conditioned to mistrust the "other", whatever that means to them, and to have so little compassion and so much greed and possessiveness that they are willing to actually murder others they perceive as a threat.
When your only tool is a gun, that's the one you use.
So true Karen. A judge overturned a gun ban here in our city and he said banning automatic guns and large rounds of ammunition take away the right to protect yourself.
DeleteIt reminded me that the only time I've heard of anyone using a gun to stop a mass shooting was well, never really. In fact hundreds of armed police in Uvalde Tx couldn't stop one gunman.
BUT the good news is an unarmed person can stop a mass shooter. In Colorado Springs an unarmed guy stopped a mass shooter at Club Q in Colorado Springs before the police arrived. In an Asian community dance club (in Northern Ca?), again an individual stopped a mass shooter before police arrived. And I don't remember the details but an individual stopped a gunman at a grocery store, I believe in the state of NY.
Thank you, Karen, for your good wishes and for your eloquent words.
DeleteJulia, when I was watching the news last night, I thought of you, along with all who might be in harm's way. Such a horrible and unnecessary tragedy. When will we know that weapons of war don't belong on our streets and take action to end this public health menace?
ReplyDeleteThat's the question, isn't it, Gillian?
DeleteOh Julia, I woke up to this news and I didn't know this area was close to where you live. I'm so sad that this and every mass shooting keeps happening. I'm glad that you and your kids are safe. I'm also thinking of you Celia as well. Please stay safe.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dru Ann.
DeleteMy neighbor's twin sons are now living in Lewiston. Praying for all.
ReplyDeleteOh, goodness, I hope they're okay and following the shelter in place order, Judi. Your poor neighbor must be beside herself.
DeleteI’m so sorry, Julia. I’m so relieved you’re all safe and pray that you remain so.
ReplyDeleteI grew up near Sandy Hook, CT. I babysat kids who lived there. When twenty 6 yr olds were slaughtered in their classroom, our country made the decision that guns are more important than babies - and that’s when I knew it will never ever change. *sigh*
That's when I lost hope for meaningful action against assault weapons as well, Jenn. If tiny children can't move the needle...
DeleteYesterday was Book Club. We have a new (young) librarian who like everyone else of her age is glued to the cell phone. Part way through the discussion, the phone rang, and it turns out it was her neighbour wanting to know if her kids got home. She calls home, kids are fine (think one is about 9), and they say the other 3 kids got off the bus and started home. Insert she and the other parents are all starting to panic here. Town has 800 people on a good day and everyone knows everyone. The day is lovely, it is 2:30 in the afternoon, and if you took a bowling ball, you would not knock down anyone on the street. All we older people said don’t worry they are just dawdling, and will be home for supper – can you tell how we were brought up? More panic. More panic. Another phone call comes in, and it turns out kids were picked up by the grandparents. Panic over. (Now kids are probably at home playing on their screens and not outside playing in the day where any neighbours would be aware of them).
ReplyDeleteNow being of older and quite probably unsound mind, I wondered to myself is this how this generation reacts to a pimple and makes it into a tempest in a teapot – ok mixed metaphors, but you get the point. Does just a small spark ignite an inferno?
So do we blame tragedy on mental health, gun laws, proximity to weapons/people/whatever, PTSD, the ‘I am the center of the universe’ mentality, and how can we change it for the better of all. Can we relearn that there is a time for a first breath, count to 10 and rethink, and hopefully then move on with consideration in our heart and not a gun in our hand?
I feel for you who are under attack in person or in mind, and only hope the world can change.
I've been reading articles on the deteriorating mental health of so many young people, and lots of opining by older people. Now I'm wondering if the constant exposure to this kind of violence might have something to do with it...
DeleteIt's time to vote the bastards out. No exceptions.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteYes. That is the only hope.
DeleteAgreed, Jerry.
DeleteI'm sorry Julia, Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteI have to say until our government officials get serious about gun control and I mean serious gun control and start to vote for people we put into office who are committed to gun control and not to the NRA and gun manufacturers, this will continue. We have the highest death total from guns than almost any other nation. There is a big correlation between guns and deaths that you don't see in countries with strict gun controls. This will not end.
So true, Anon.
DeleteTwice recently Canada has issued travel advisories against the States, warning Canadians that we’d be at risk of violence if we went there. Those warnings used to be limited to small, turbulent countries.
ReplyDeleteEvery time something like this happens, politicians offer “thoughts and prayers”. So much easier than taking action.
They can take their thoughts and prayers and stick 'em . . . . empty words and no action.
DeleteI find it illustrative that my state shares a bigger border with Canada than we do with any other state, and the folks over the line have a similar rural, farming, hunting culture we do in Maine. Yet somehow they manage to live without military grade assault weapons.
DeleteSo, so, sorry to hear this, all those lives gone and all their loved ones devastated. This is such a fundamental problem, no easy solution. But they did it in Australia. Julia, be safe, your post was heartbreaking. Joyce W.
ReplyDeleteAustralia had some really good people pushing that law, didn't they, Anon?
DeleteI second everything Karen in Ohio said.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for you, Julia. Stay safe - along with all our other author/reader friends in Maine.
Thanks, Liz.
DeleteI'm so very sorry, Julia. This is something that does not HAVE to happen anywhere in the U.S. We have gone so wrong in so many ways. I wish I knew how to turn gun violence around in this country.
ReplyDeleteSo do we all, Anon.
DeleteI continue to try to understand why someone would think this is the answer to something—what is the question they’re asking? What is the goal? And of course—access to guns. and mental health
ReplyDelete. And the utter refusal for “leadership” to do anything that they don’t perceive is in THEIR OWN personal (and financial) best interests. It’s just such an atmosphere of total self-centered selfishness.
We've been a country lacking in the ability to sacrifice for quite some time, Anon.
DeleteOh, that’s me, Hank, above.
ReplyDeleteI should have read this before responding!
DeleteI was looking for something light and entertaining on YouTube early last night, when a bulletin from Maine caught my eye. I was glued to the news for the next few hours. I’m horrified, and really have no other words. I’m just horrified. Sandy Hook is about twenty miles away from me. I was sure things would change after that tragedy, but now I have no faith that Congress will be moved by any tragedy.
ReplyDeleteDebRo
I'm afraid I share that lack of faith, DebRo.
DeleteJust when I think it can’t get worse, it does. Until a mass shooting happens to people who “count”, meaning our legislators, nothing will happen to limit the killing of our country buy the NEA and the MAGA Monsters.
ReplyDeleteAnn, twice (that I know of), legislators have been shot in recent years - Gaby Gifford and Steve Scalise - and nothing has changed. And I think you meant the NRA, not the NEA… — Pat S
DeleteThe NEA is definitely pro-better gun control!
DeleteChildren ( and others ) die, and hearts break, and it happens nowhere else on earth. And the difference is readily available weapons. Period. But we have a congress populated by greed, and voters who are morons. Sorry but I grew up in gun country and knew nice people who hunted ...but there is no reason guns are managed less than driver's licenses.
ReplyDeleteLots of friends and family members who are gun owners, Triss, and they usually agree.
DeleteI went angry about the skunk around my home and wake to news of another shooting. I have no words. The skunk is nothing compared to gun violence. Small or large number of victims - gun violence is horrible. I hope the person of interest is apprehended quickly.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deana. I hope you find a way around your skunk friend - either learning to live together or a safe Have-A-Heart trap!
DeleteThe moment I saw this on the news last night I started praying for your safety, Julia.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a country where people think it’s normal to own weapons of mass destruction. In England there are very few gun shot murders. Why? Because ordinary people can’t own guns apart from hunting shot guns
When will sanity drown out the crazies? Nobody needs an automatic rifle. Period
Sorry that was Rhys
DeleteI've heard folks say, "Yeah, but people get murdered in the UK as well!" Which yes, but it's a lot harder to stab 18 people in one place, isn't it...
DeleteWe were watching TV last night when the news break interrupted the program. After Lester Holt finished his announcement, my husband said, “Wow, I didn’t think the networks considered that kind of thing important enough to interrupt their regular programming since it happens so often nowadays.” He isn’t in favor of mass shootings; he is just a bit jaded. As I said above to Ann, Gaby Gifford, a Democratic Congressperson, was shot and nothing changed. Steve Scalise, a Republican Congressperson, was shot and nothing changed. A former student at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is now in the U.S. Congress. I’d like to think he and his generation who grew up doing active shooter drills in school can be the difference, but I don’t know if I feel optimistic.
ReplyDeleteJulia and Celia, I didn’t know where in Maine you live so spent the wee hours of the morning trying to find a reference in old JRW blogs. I finally saw that you were not very close, but still thought you might know someone who was near Lewiston and obviously you do. I’m so very sorry that your little corner of the world is not as peaceful as you thought. Sending you and your loved ones hugs and peace. — Pat S
Thank you, Pat. I suspect it's made national news precisely because Maine has been such a safe place. Maine has consistently been one of the five states with the lowest rates of homicide as a percentage of the population. (You can find good data about this at the CDC's Homicide Mortality by State.)
Delete"No way to stop this (mass shootings) says only nation where this happens regularly."
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that reminded Julia.
Thinking of you and your family and all those affected.
Thank you, Anon.
DeleteJulia, I didn't see this until I woke up this morning, so was glad to immediately know you and your kids were safe. It is terrible. I have no words. None of us are safe. The Allen mall shooting was just a couple of miles from my house. No one really thinks it will happen in their city, their school, their church, their grocery store, until it does. But selling guns--and perhaps even more so, selling hate--is very profitable and in this country that matter more than the lives of its citizens.
ReplyDeleteI remember worrying about you during the Allen Mall shooting, Debs. What does it say when a tiny group of middle aged, middle class writers have had at least two mass killings nearby?
DeleteHeartbroken again. I will never understand why anyone thinks it’s normal or acceptable for an ordinary civilian to own an assault rifle. They’re not for self defense, not for hunting, not for target shooting. They are for mass murder.
ReplyDeleteI was horrified in our last state election to see one candidate had a picture of an AR15 on his signs. This ensured that I would never vote for him even if he was the last man on Earth. Nevertheless he was elected, which makes me seriously doubt my neighbors’ judgement. I guess people are just never going to learn.
The AR-15 and it's like have unfortunately evolved from efficient weapons used by trained military personnel on the battlefield to a kind of mascot for Freedom in certain circles.
DeleteIt was horrifying news to wake to. As far as I have seen the shooter is still at large. I am glad that you and yours are safe. The tragedy is unimaginable.
ReplyDeleteLast week we had a fleet of police cars travel on Route 11 past our house with lights and sirens flashing. You know how it is in small towns, we called around to find out what was going on. No one knew. We sheltered just in case. I was in the town office the next day. The police were conducting a manhunt. An armed man took his wife hostage. When the police arrived, he hit the woods trails on his ATV. They captured him in the woods. The same woods that are part of my backyard. I'm a hiker, fortunately, I wasn't in the woods that day, but I also question why, since the incident occurred about a mile from our house, the locals weren't cautioned.
I'd definitely be asking that question, Kait, especially since it tends to be very easy to get into people's house and barns all over the rural parts of Maine.
DeleteMy heart is with everyone in Maine affected by this terrible tragedy, as my heart is with all those who have ever been affected by gun violence! It hurts my soul that I live in a country with a large enough percentage of the population that can stop common sense gun control legislation and that is so callous in their lack of care for the lives of others. We absolutely could prevent these tragedies, like so many countries around the world with strong gun control legislation and very low gun crime rates. Why should we have to accept this as a part of life in the U.S.?
ReplyDeleteWhy, indeed, Anon?
DeleteI think we should be clear about one thing. It is not a failure of "our leadership" or "Congress." It is the failure of ONE of our two major political parties that has become an authoritarian cult worshipping at the altar of the AR-15, and it's the failure of every single American who continues to vote for them.
ReplyDeleteMass shootings are directly connected to our increasingly dysfunctional politics, and it's not about "both sides" anymore.
This is not your parents' Republican Party. Ronald Reagan supported the federal assault weapons ban.
Yes but for equal time which Regan eliminated, there would be no Fox News. Regan was particularly good at concealing his evil intent. I was a child when he was the Governor of California, even then I recognized how terrible his leadership was and the awful things it caused.
DeleteStill hoping that history evaluates (judges) Reagan honestly. He’s been credited as such a savior by the Republican Party for 40+ years and they don’t look at the things he caused - homelessness due to shutting down mental hospitals, gutting the social safety net (things which support people in need like student services, mental health services and advocating for the elimination of Medicare). He also gave rise to the politicians who followed him who care more about profits than people. — Pat S
DeleteLisa, thanks for your comments and pointing out it is the Republicans who are blocking common sense legislation for gun control. They know perfectly well it is a problem but they don't care. Well, they do care about the money they receive. I love your reference to an authoritarian cult worshipping at the altar of the AR-15. Some politicians have even sent out X-mas cards with every family member (young kids even) holding AR-15's. How unChristian can one get.
DeleteLisa, I think the assault rifle was used to assassinate the Prime Minister Rabin of Israel 30 years ago.
DeleteDiana
I agree with all of you about Reagan (don’t get me started). But it says something about what the GOP has become when even Reagan would be too far left for today’s party.
DeleteGood point, Lisa.
ReplyDeleteDiane Hale here--Google is being particularly obnoxious. I disagree that we need more gun control. Criminals don't register their guns--they usually steal them, or buy them from someone who stole them. What we need is a return to more mental health facilities, as well as more mental health providers. The majority of mass shooters have a history of mental illness.
ReplyDeleteAnother factor--the growth of social media with its emphasis on feeding the narcissists craving attention and willing to do anything to appease their addiction.
There are multiple causes, few are addressed, and penalizing law abiding citizens won't address that.
A ban on assault weapons!
DeleteDiana, I'm argueing respectfully with my own son on the family chat about assault weapons. I'm very much in the ranks of those who would like to see firm limits placed around them. However, I totally agree that this plague of spree shootings must have many origins, because there are tens of thousands of citizens who do own these weapons, and they're not running amok and killing as many people as they can reach.
DeleteI have the same discussions with my adult son, Julia. — Pat S
DeleteNo one who isn't a serving member of the Armed Forces needs a firearm that can accurately hit targets as far as three football fields away, and in rapid succession, up to 100 rounds in a few seconds. Hunters who say they need such abilities are just extremely poor shots and bad sports. When my husband hunts deer he loads one round into the shotgun and has another in his pocket, period.
DeleteDian Hale, I was in your camp of thinking mental illness is a major cause of mass shootings. But, someone told me that is not the case. The majority of mentally ill actually are responsible for suicides, while most shootings are not cause by the mentally ill, according to the American Psychological Association.
DeletePeople suffering from mental illness are actually more likely to be the victims of violence than the instigators.
DeleteI'm so sorry you are going through this. I live in a small town as well and I don't think any of are safe anymore.
ReplyDeleteThat's how it feels, April.
DeleteJULIA: When I saw the news about a mass shooting in Maine, of all places, I was worried about you and your family. Such a relief that you all are unharmed physically and now sheltering in place.
ReplyDeleteTried to comment this morning and the Internet connection was not working. I have so much to say about this. In brief, the most recent news in California is that our Governor added a Constitutional Amendment about Gun Control and a "Judge" overturned it, saying it is Unconstitutional.
It makes me so ANGRY that certain groups have so much power and do not care about guns killing people. A friend from Scandinavia told me 30 years ago about the NRA headquarters was a skip and hop from the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. It was clear that the NRA has too much power.
Yes, we have to do something about Mental health. We have to stop the bullying in our society. I remember reading about Dan White, who killed Mayor George Moscone of San Francisco and Harvey Milk who replaced Dan White as Supervisor. When Dan White was in prison, he wrote stories. His writing instructor shared in an article years after Dan White committed suicide that Dan White grew up with violence in the home and that Dan White was taught that Violence was the solution to problems. All these people who committed mass murders - Were they taught that Violence was the only solution to their problems?
We CAN do something. We STILL can vote and let's use our right to vote while we still can. We can refuse to travel to cities that allow guns. Before ordering anything online, check to see if that company gives money to certain politicians that voted against Gun Control. There are many ways we can do something. It would help if we all work together too.
Late comment ( because of NO Internet all day ) and Long comment with my thoughts,
Diana
Diana, I appreciate your passion, and you're right. It's up to all of us to vote, each and every election, in the hopes of change.
DeleteNice post Bibliophile. I live in California and yes it is hard to understand how a judge could overturn gun control measures as unconstitutional. We all have a right to murder others...err I mean have guns to protect ourselves (and how is that working out?). Not at all.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, we can maybe get together as a group, our group of Jungle Red Writers, and start a letter writing campaign. Maybe Hank could weigh in on this idea.
Hank?
I have the sad sense that the only thing that will make a difference to legislators is money, Anon - not letters.
DeleteJulia, unfortunately, it is too true about money making a difference to legislators. Diana
DeleteI have just now learned of this tragedy. No one is safe anywhere. I already hated guns when my son was murdered, and now I just can't fathom what has happened to our world. I went and sat with my son at his grave for at least an hour this afternoon, and now there will be more graves and more families sitting by those graves.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you and Phillip, Kathy. I know this must be raking up all sorts of things - go gently, will you?
DeleteUvalde broke my heart as well, all those beautiful children and teachers . The really sad and ironic thing is that the American public is against assault weapons and for sensible gun control. I thought the scandals in the NRA might make a difference but our elected officials don’t have the guts to make it happen. Tragic.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Susan.
DeleteI hope the shooter is found asap for your sake and the sake of everyone in Maine! Much of my family is a half hour from the shooting scenes. They're fine but not going anywhere.
ReplyDelete