Our daughter, Laura, did her graduate work in Connecticut. Her aunt is an elementary school principal there, a short drive from Newtown. Our eldest daughter is a musician, music teacher and mother. These are her anguished thoughts on the events in Connecticut:

I’m trying to adequately collect my thoughts… Between hugging my daughter and making latkes, my mind has been ping-ponging non-stop. I do not believe that pure evil caused today’s atrocities. It certainly wasn’t a lack of God in the classroom, or in the “hearts” of citizens. It wasn’t that teachers weren’t armed, to defend their students — that is a hideous proposition. 

A sick, sick, sick individual did this. He had access to firearms that NO ONE should have access to: “A Sig Sauer and a Glock semi automatic handgun were used in the slaying and that .223 shell casings – a round used in a semi automatic military style rifle – were also found.” (ABC NEWS) I wonder if it was easier for him to obtain those guns than to obtain help for his condition … Had he gone in with a baseball bat, he would have been stopped before he had done too much damage. 

What makes me so incredibly angry, is that amidst the pain of these parents, these children, this community, is that the f-ing gun lobby, and its mouthpieces, and our Conservative politicians spout on about how it’s not the time to discuss gun control, or get “political.” Well, it actually is the perfect time to discuss gun control AND get political — in a positive way. Regressive policies are constantly being shoved down our throats when we (as a populace) are in a state of shock. It’s called “Shock Doctrine.” Now, when a nation grieves (2 nations, actually), why not turn our shock, our horror, our outrage into positive changes? Let’s teach and preach non-violence, get rid of guns, fund healthcare, de-stigmatize mental health disease. 

Violence is everywhere, it’s glorified on TV and in video games. It’s a way of life, a cultural given. Why? Haven’t we evolved beyond eye for an eye? I don’t believe in God, it’s not God who makes us good, we make each other good. — Laura Z. Nerenberg

Karl Nerenberg

Karl Nerenberg joined rabble in 2011 to cover Canadian politics. He has worked as a journalist and filmmaker for many decades, including two and a half decades at CBC/Radio-Canada. Among his career highlights...