Last week I came across this article about bringing guns to work. I found it after the Clackamas Town Center mall shootings. I was shocked that this is even a conversation, or that it is even legal in some states to bring a gun to work. I do not even want to think about my co-workers bringing a gun to work.
Guns at work adds to the already full social commentary about gun laws and mental health. The events of last week have brought us all to reflect on our lives, appreciate our loved ones, and pray for the families affected by these tragedies. My heart and tears go out to those that have been affected by the shootings in Oregon and Connecticut. Horror. Safety. Why? All three of these words come to my mind. Many individuals are asking why this happened, and what needs to change in our country. I am asking myself the same questions. What needs to shift?
Besides understanding the facts, many are talking about what needs to be done with gun laws and mental health issues in our country. Both issues need to be discussed. We also need to address the fear of safety from the public. What does a shooting in a mall, movie theater, and an elementary school do to the fear and comfort level for many families across America. Is it immobilizing them or are they able to continue to live their lives? What effects do these events have on the general trust among strangers? Will we all begin to start looking at each other different?
I do not have any answers. Only questions right now. What I do know is like with many of the natural disasters that have hit around the world in the recent months and years, that this is a time to come together. To work together in our communities and try to find answers to our questions. To not move on as though this was all okay. It is not okay.
Articles I have found interesting from the online conversation:
‘I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother’: A Mom’s Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America – Huffington Post
Guns-to-Work Laws Spread in U.S. as Business Fights NRA – Bloomberg
random olio 
The gun laws in the US have always fascinated me. Theres the tired cliche that “guns dont kill people people kill people” but if you took away the guns i imagine there would be less fatalities from gunshot wounds yes? I hate to say it but nothing will change – the NRA will make sure of that. Politics is too interlinked with money and power for anything to happen. Good luck Barack.
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Thank you for sharing your comments. We definitely have our work cut out for us as a country. We need to all speak up and hopefully if enough of us do our voices will be heard. I do agree that politics, money and power are too intertwined.
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a scary thought. . . .
peace,
laurie
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F••• BALLS!! I can’t even believe this.
With regards to the ‘I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother’ article, I found this to be extremely intriguing and heart breaking. I can’t imagine being the parent of a child your were afraid of. Afraid of them hurting someone, hurting your other kids, hurting themselves or even his parents. To read that the family has a safety plan and that the other two younger kids knew what to do when he acted out was so sad. This conversation must be had. How do we help those who are mentally ill? How do we help support and protect them as well as protect society from possible actions like this?
No, not every person suffering from mental illness will commit murder. All of these conversations can’t be boiled down to a simple action. I’m rarely the person that believes an issue is truly “an issue” – rather, “a compilation of various issues”. For instance, in light of the most recent shootings and others that have taken place in our nations past (a list so big that Wikipedia devoted it’s own page to the US breaking out all the other countries onto a single page), the issue is not only Gun Control. The issue is not only Mental Illness. The “issues” are Gun Control, Mental Illness, The Judicial System (big time), Social Services, School Security, Community Security (workplace, malls, restaurants, churches, etc).
I’m not saying I have the answers. I’m saying I believe each issue, and probably others not listed, need to be discussed and solutions/plans offered. People shouldn’t get up in arms (no pun intended) about the 2nd Amendment or think that a facility for mentally ill individuals is inhumain. They need to get heated about all the topics and really think about what solutions would be the best for society as a whole as opposed to the individual.
So much more to say on this topic. So not to wear out my welcome, I’ll sign off. Thank you for writing and don’t stop!!
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Thank you, Kurt! Such a great response. The …Adam Lanza’s mother article – whew…I just do not know how she does it every day. Never knowing if she or her other kids are safe. Having good days, and then horrible days. It definitely would make me ever so grateful for what I had (if/when I have kids) that do not experience mental illness. It makes you realize how much harder parenting is/can be for those that have kids with mental illness. I think it also shows how little we realize it happens in homes in America. I agree with you wholeheartedly with all the issues we need to cover, discuss, ponder, and make decisions on. Now. Not yesterday, but now. Here is to the future safety of our country, our children, our lives!
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