Tuesday, May 24, 2022, was a devastating day for educators, parents, extended families, and most importantly for children, as the horror in Uvalde, Texas unfolded. Once again, evil invaded a school and massacred innocent teachers and students. I flashbacked, nine and one-half years ago, when I was seated in a school board meeting. I asked our superintendent to light a candle for the students, teachers, and principal slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary School and to offer a moment of silence.

I was so wrong! In fact, so wrong that last night I apologized at a party I hosted. I should never have asked for silence; I should have pleaded for VOICE. Thoughts and prayers will not allow the lost children to graduate from elementary school, let alone college. In the early 1990’s AR-15’s were banned from sale to the general public; they were sold solely to the military and law enforcement. When the ban expired in 2004, gun manufacturers seized the opportunity to market them to everyday folk. It was like trading up your old car for a high-tech Tesla or Lamborghini. Currently, AR-15’s have the highest sales and the ability to deliver hundreds of bullets in a short time, without reloading.

Further given the ready availability of AR-15’s, they are purchased by some who aren’t mentally stable or are immature. If I have to be 21 to gamble or buy a beer, I should have to 21 to buy a gun. If I have to show my ID to buy Claritin, there should be restrictions on gun sales. Damn, one terrorist put a bomb in his shoe, and we ALL have to take off our shoes at airport security, unless… we have TSA clearance, which includes a fingerprint scan, identification, and a background check.

Sadly, no place is immune to violence. Schools, churches, grocery stores, restaurants, and playgrounds. We must SPEAK UP! We must no longer tolerate the wanton waste of human life. The government is bold enough to FORCE me to have a kid, but too WEAK to ensure my kid makes it to recess alive. We are better than this.