If we do nothing after the slaughter of innocents in Newtown, then nothing will change.
And someday not too long from now, we'll all be back again…grieving about another unspeakable act in another place in America. Because right now, at any time–in any school, movie theater, shopping mall, or street corner–any number of shots can be fired, and any number of people can die.
And the cycle of violence, prayers, and legislative inaction will continue. We'll be told, "guns don't kill people. People kill people."
But our brains and eyes tell us, "people with guns kill people."
Then, when someone mentions controlling guns, they'll be attacked for trying to weaken public safety because "when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."
Time will pass, and the very strong emotions we all feel right now will eventually fade.
But, this time, i hope we won't let it go and move on.
I know there's a Constitutional right to bear arms. But we also have an unalienable right to life that comes from the Declaration of Independence.
Unalienable means absolute. Guns kill that right. Bullets end lives and fatally wound families and futures.
As we watch the first burials of the latest victims of gun violence, I believe we can all agree that something very important is wrong with our gun laws.