Saturday, February 23, 2013

guns and stuff.

This past year has been completely stupid when it comes to gun violence. I don’t know enough/am not smart enough to get into that whole debate. That being said, I do think some things need to change because the number of gun deaths in our country is just unacceptable. I am feeling particular sore on this subject right now due to a recent experience…

On Thursdays I volunteer at my local library. This past Thursday, when I arrived at the library, there was zero parking. Sometimes there is a program going on that makes it hard to find parking but on this particular occasion it was impossible! I finally slipped into a little spot in a close-by residential cul-de-sac and started walking toward the lib. Just as I was about to cross the street, a police car came whizzing by. I found that to be odd, crossed the street, and went inside. And then, right as I walked in to the library, they locked the door behind me.

A librarian I knew rushed up and filled me in on the details. At the high school next door, there was a rumor that some former student had shown up with a gun. They had locked down the high school and the library just to be safe. And, for the next hour or so, everyone was pretty nervous before the police caught the kids. After everything was said and done it ended up that the kid just had a bb gun.

What is really weird is that recently I actually had a thought that it was only a matter of time until I or somebody I knew got caught in crappy situation with guns. I literally thought to myself the only way to avoid it is to become a recluse and not go anywhere- but even that isn’t a sure bet. When I was initially told what was happening, I was not surprised. Every single day I read about some new horrible scenario where someone takes a gun into a public place and does something stupid. So, although I wasn’t surprised, I was mad. I’m mad that I live in a world where I have to accept the fact that my loved ones and I are exposed to gun violence just by living our lives. Not cool, America. Not cool.

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