I do not think two words have ever been put together so easily and have caused such complex, different, and endless reaction. What. Now. Does anyone have the right answer? What is the right thing to do? I think the word "right" in a situation like this is so difficult to use because this tragedy comes down on everyone. Not everyone was immediately effected as traumatically as those Newtown families and residents were, but everyone knows that could have been any elementary school, any group of children, any friend... this comes down on all of us because most recognize how lucky we are it did not happen in our community.
So what is "right" if not everyone agrees on the same thing? The aftermath of this scenario leaves people in the trenches because everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants to be "right." There are the liberals who want gun-free zones and wish for schools to be safe havens for children to learn and grow. Then there are the NRA members who think if more schools had guns, attackers would have a more difficult time creating a massacre such as the one in Newtown. Oh, and don't forget the people in the middle, who cannot seem to decide what should be done; who like the ideas of the Constitution, but understand some changes need to be made to make this Nation a better place. Some blame the media. Some blame the parents. All in all the Nation has countless points of view, all looking for their own solution to come to fruition. So, as I have asked, what is the "right" one? What now?
Well, I just do not think it is that simple. That is, doing what is "right." I mean, does a policeman do what's right in giving a man who only makes $30,000 a $700 speeding ticket? Does a parent do what's right when they don't let their kid see Toy Story 3 because they have yet to clean up their room? Does a sports league do what's right when they stop selling beer in the 7th inning or 4th quarter? As odd or goofy as these scenarios may seem, no one is doing what is "right," they are doing what needs to be done to keep things civil. Doing what is morally expected. Doing the best we can, as a community, from preventing any wrong from happening. Some effect for the cause, as it were.
So, will Barack Obama be doing what is "right" when he places a ban on all assault rifles - as we did in the 90s - and lowers gun ownership to 1 per household? Not by the NRA, not by gun owners, and not be peaceful apathetics, but these weapons are not used to hunt deer. Plain and simple. This situation is not about doing what is right, it is about preventing wrong. What happened in Newtown, CT was pure evil. Of course, the government cannot stop violent people from going out and buying guns illegally. Obama can't promise another tragedy like Sandy Hook won't happen again, but that does not mean we, as a people, do not have to try. We have a responsibility to our children, we have a responsibility to ourselves. As he so powerfully said on Sunday night:
We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this.
I expect to see some significant change with gun control. I expect President Obama to do his very best to work with gun groups and gun-free believers alike to explain what actions need to be taken and what laws must be put in place in order to keep our children, and our communities as a whole, safe. Again, it is not about what is "right," because everyone thinks they are. This is about better peace of mind. This is about lesser graves. What now? Insanity, by definition, is "doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome." Well, wrong is wrong, and it will happen on it's own in scary, terrifying ways at times, but we do not have to sit idly by. Strive to do good, work to make it better.
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