A poem, why we must take another look at gun control

Great share always exploring. Voted up.

Hi Ruby... I wipe the tears away as I revisit this horrible tragedy that has left us all with such an empty feeling. Lives lost all because of a stupid senseless act. What could have been going through his mind. How sad and even today again I hear of another shooting in Texas. Lost for words...

Blessings from Canada

I am glad you wrote this Ruby. We need to keep on raising awareness until something effective is done by the government.

Best Wishes.

Ps. Sorry haven't been online a lot recently. xx

hi, Ruby..just stopping by again to share this awesome poem 'around'..

I'm really starting to get on this mantra that we need to share each other's work more - especially stuff that could have impact on the world - if seen! If we keep all these wonderful words, thoughts and ideas to ourselves - it's both selfish and NOT doing what we want to do, which is change the world..(of course..lol)..

i've always 'shared' with hubbers - but my goal for 2013 is to share, share, share..google, pin, and twit...er...twat?..whatever..LOL..

This is more than worthy!

Wow Ruby. You really got people going with this deep poem.

Bravo my friend. You have written a heartfelt honest plea. I must admit to losing some hope in the great USA of ours as of late.

Great write. Voting up and sharing

Excellent job expressing the fact that it is no longer possible to ignore the gun control issue. After the tragedy in Newtown it is impossible to refuse to make a change in the gun control laws. The legislative intent was to give people the right to protect themselves against the government. That reason no longer exists and the government has nuclear weapons anyway and no one insists we should have them to arm ourselves. Weapons that can shoot 40 rounds in under five minutes should not be in the hands of individuals since we can't monitor the mental stability of everyone. Either way your words inspire people to finally face this issue. Voted up!

I do agree with you, Ruby. We SHOULD not need guns; we should live and let live, respect each other and their belongings, properties, believes, and, and, and; we should not have a single reason to use a gun, or any kind of deadly weapon.

Will humanity ever reach this level of civilization?

Hugs galore to you :)

We must look into that aspect gain, A very much thought provoking hub.

Very inspiring poem. Great topic selection. Gun's ownership in my country is illegal. But, I still found the gun sold in black market for crime action. I know that US is a free country for gun. But the owner should use the gun wisely to protecting their selves in dangerous situation. Of course, they must obey the rule. I hope there's no more killings anymore. So, we can live in peace. Ruby, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Prasetio

Thank you for writing this piece. There is much to be done for mental health in our country, and there is just as much be done to stop semi automatic guns in our country. In an ideal world, all mental illness would be cured. In reality, this is not possible. In an ideal world only good guys would have guns. In reality, this is not true. So we need to find a compromise between these things that protects us all, and gives our children the privilege of growing up in a world that has less trauma and more love. The priorities of our country need to be looked at more closely for sure

Happy Boxing day Ruby at lake erie time 3:59pm Canada where I just returned from my walk through a blinding snow storm on the lakeshore road here and George Jones is back here strumming his

gee-tar by the fireplace still missing you (I always miss you)

I saw this the other day Ruby but was reluctant to come and read it, I was still angry and upset after what happened. Certainly the violence has gone too far and something desperate needs to be done. It is all too easy for people to lay the blame on someone... something else. As billybuc said in his hub its about time people took responsibility for their own action and the actions of their children.

Have a good Christmas my friend and all the best for 2013

Epi has the right idea with that toilet plunger thing, can hardly wait to read it!

Ruby I have to ask , what good does it do to creat MORE gun laws when the real problem is the psychological developement of these teen age monsters , when the real problem is a timebomb in a bedroom hidden in the pale light of a computor screen fed of a twisted and deviant media , from all to see !,except mommy who brings him his meals and clean clothes but never gets help for a twisted mind . A timebomb waiting to go off ! And no laws are going to change that . Laws are for those who obey them and them only! The solution is going to take way way more dialog than 'lets make another law ".It all starts with parents at home !And with that monster thats going to use whatever he can get his hands on WHEN he dicides to hurt another person or child !Most the posts here are looking for easy answers that can quickly absolve them of thier guilt in a society that doesnt understand the deviant heart and mind !........respectfully ....Ed

Ruby, voted up and all across but funny. Powerful words my dear. This terrible incident touched the hearts of all parents and I can only imagine what the families are dealing with. It is truly so sad. I hope something is done with policy but guns will still get in the wrong hands from time to time. As parents, I believe we have to step up. I really think it starts with mom and dad. Secondly, we have to look at mental health. We have to be able to see this coming before it happens and eliminate the problem. Any way you look at it, it will be hard. Love your message and I agree 100%. Ruby, just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and bless you and all your loved ones my friend.

Well Ruby my dear you know me - I say - make love not war but unfortunately guns are with us to stay until the last man standing - I may sound cynical but it's true - personally I think they should get rid of all guns and replace them with toilet plungers (which just gave me an idea - look for this one as written up today -lol)

I love your heart Ruby - your passion - your sincerity - and I just love you - you are my gift 365 days a year - that is the true meaning of Christmas - and I am here to send you warm holiday wishes and continued good health, happiness and prosperity for you and your family 365 days a year - lake erie time 8:54am with 2nd cup of coffee and the sun over the lake (which is your smile)

My pleasure Ruby @always exploring.

Guns are being misused and by the wrong ppl. They gotta make stronger regulations on gun control and must be done now "ASAP" this has been one of the saddest tragedies my eyes have seen and I don't need to live to see another tragedy like this one caused by a madman going around carrying an illegal weapon. WE NEED TO STOP THIS NOW.

Did not say it was okay, just that if he had had his handy assault rifle, he could have killed a bunch of kids instead of wounding them. The fact is a good one it seems to me. None died. Happy Xmas to you also, Jim.

Xstatic , I cant believe what you just said ! About the chinese school stabbing , Are you serious my friend ? So school killings or assaults are okay as long as you use a knife . How about a propane tank and a match ? Or maybe just poison thier food just a little bit ? How about this ?.......Strangle them with the seat belt on the school buss' , oh yeaa ! There aren't any on busses are there a ! Please because YOU dont have a use for a gun,.... doesn't allow you to not think before you jump to over emoting in the place of reasoning ! ........Merry Christmas my friend .....Ed

I am with you always exploring. It is too easy to get guns today, kegally or illegally and no one outside law enforcement or the military has a reason beyond whim for having an assualt rifle and or oversized magazines, let alone body armor. Ammo sold on the net is ridiculous too as far as I'm conerned. Since we do not all worship the same god in this country, it will be a little difficult to put god into schools again. I do not want a national religion, I want soem rational decisions on guns.

Some disgruntled Chinese citizen went into a school there and stabbed 22 children. Not one died. A Bushmaster assault rifle would have made his madness a killer's success.

Ruby,

You spoke the truth and in such a short and discreet manner.

Gun control gotta start now before it is too late. The catastrophe lies within us and we got to identify it...NOW!

voted up as awesome and sharing it across

Always Exploring , As I read this hub I said to myself , no , I'd better not comment on this one . I will go off on a rant or something . But here goes , my friend ,Gun control is already here ! There are more laws , rules , regulations and reasons to not even bother going near buying a gun to start with today . America as we know, is a nation of laws, our entire constitutional foundation was built upon them ! There is nothing we can do in America that isn't crossing the borders one one law or a dozen more at any given time . Like everything else we do , buying a gun or owning one that was passed down to you cause many laws to be affected . Don't go near a courthouse , don't carry one on a air plane or a train. Don't shoot them within city limits , or carry a loaded one in your truck . Heres one for you , as a deer hunter you can't have more than five bullets in your rifle or handgun while hunting . You cant have it loaded in a vehicle , God forbid you get caught leaning a loaded rifle agaist the tailgate of your truck to put your hunting boots on ! Thats illegal ! That would mean technically that you have a loaded gun on or in your truck! Gun Laws are already here , gun control is already here ! What isn't here though is people control , impulse control , out of control teenager control , illicit drug use control! Or mental health control . And you allready know that there are no mental health control laws out there . You were a nurse correct , how about passing out drugs for patients , there are laws and regulations for that too. Do they get broken ? Yes of course they do . There lies the problem ! Impulse control. Next , our legal system , the courts , the defense attorneys , judges soft on crime . I guarentee you if you robbed a bank tomorrow with a gun and two friends helped you , that it would be plea-ed down from armed robbery , to something far less if you turned on your friends and gave evidense against them. ! You might not even serve time if you had a previously "clean record '. Even though you carried a gun ! As a nurse you must also have dealt with mental health patients . How was that done , they are kept for a period of time for "observation " and turned loose to a loved one , or the street , where you just shook your head and said what ?!....Gun control ? We need stupid people control , and nothing more ! There are loop holes in everything to do with laws . The governor of your state has more protection than your grandkids in school , what about that ? Hell he's got body guards , your grandchild child doesn't even have a seat belt on his big yellow school bus !Whats with that ? I guess we have to agree to disagree as to where we go now , we have huge problems in our culture , gun control is but one small one . .......Merry christmas my friend !......ed

You need to consider that not everyone who owns guns is out there playing cowboy. There are people who hunt their food here. Many would not eat everyday if they had to buy their food. The gas prices have caused the food to skyrocket. Most of the people who hunt do not hunt because it is fun, they hunt to eat. If people did not hunt in this part of the country, the deer population would grow so large that they would starve, sicken and die terrible deaths. Keeping the population down ensures that there is plenty for them to eat.

I am so upset that this has happened and deplore that these people did not get the mental health care that they needed. The majority of the people shooting others have been mentally ill. That is the biggest part of the problem. If they banned guns, only the law abiding would not have guns. That has been proven in other countries. The bad guys still have theirs in countries where they have been banned.

Controlling who buys these assault weapons is one important way for these problems to be addressed but their is also the issue of people not being able to get mental health care. They need to make it a little easier for people to be forced to take their meds also. Many go off their meds and with the laws the way they are; their families and friends cannot make them take them. Their is no recourse for these families except to prove that they are a danger to themselves or others. They have to do something to make that easier to do. They may not be a danger with their meds but when they quit taking them and drop out of touch, the families can't know when they are becoming dangerous.

Ruby, you so put the nail on the head and wrote it in prose. This story sickened me as I looked at each and every face on the front of AOL 'S page, when they buried them. My heart cries for something to be done so this didn't happen in vain. God Bless Their Families.

This brings up important points that need further investigation. I also think about the animals that are killed for sport. It's sad to think people have become too busy to recognize what is going on in the world. Thanks for sharing. This is the eighth hub I have read in 26 today honoring the Sandy Hook victims. I read this hub in memory of Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female

What happened is indeed very sad but sadder still is that it keeps happening and the people of your country are helpless in the face of big business to really do anything about it. America is no longer the land of the free but hopefully someday like the founding fathers of your great nation once did you will rise up and overthrow those who would keep you enslaved that they might continue to prosper. Thank you Ruby.

Very thought provoking prose Ruby and yes we need to look at all sides earnestly and very thoughtfully, considering the utmost important thing, the safety of our children. Mental illness has always been taboo to talk about and while we have made great strides, some families hide it but it is time to look at it with a fine tooth comb, helping the broken system, assist families who have no idea what to do. The stigma that goes with mental illness has to be addressed so that people can get the help they need. In the mean time we need to address the gun control but honestly I have no idea where to go with this one...What does a citizen need with an assault rifle anyway? Protection is one thing but my goodness..I don't get that one..

Thanks

Sunnie

Oh wow you are so right my friend.. so sad this happens over and over.. some thing has to be done

Thank you for writing this wonderful hub and poem.. we all need to look at what we can do .....

God Bless you

Merry Christmas

Sharing

Debbie

Hi Ruby, after watching the nightmare on tv a thought popped into my mind, I don't live in America so maybe I shouldn't really have an opinion, but I did think to myself that we are not living in the 1800's back in the wildwest, back then it was necessary to carry a gun for safety, but this is the 21st century, surely the guns should have been put away at least a century ago as old fashioned and no longer necessary, just a thought. its strange to think of America having guns like this in a modern world, I watched the service on tv today, so sad. just wrote this and then noticed the comments above, seems like we agree too.

Thought provoking piece Ruby! I would ban them personally. But I doubt that will happen--I hope we go further this time in controlling them in any case

Hi Ruby. Your poem makes people think. It is not for me to say whether guns should be banned in the USA but when I hear somebody say that it is everybodys right to own a gun I can only say it is also everybodys right to life. I am very happy that we cannot buy guns in Britain without extreme licensing but we do also have shootings in this country. I do not see personally why anyone would want to own a gun in this day and age as I thought the west had already been won and it was no longer a wild wild west. I think if you buy a car it is for a reason, to drive so I can only presume that this is the same motivation for gun toters. We are never going to rid the world of maniacs and mental cases and if someone wants to create havoc they will usually find a way but I feel that making it harder for them to get their wares may be a step in the right direction. My heart goes out to the families of this horrible act. God bless................. Chris

Ruby,

We have seen enough during the civil war. I'm glad Nepal government does not allow guns for civilians.

Merry Christmas a very Happy New Year.

You wrote this poem very well Always Exploring. The issue of mental illness is one that people still shy away from and causes great social problems. We need many changes. Bless you friend.

Voted up. I just don't know what is right anymore. Perhaps psychological tests before buying weapons, then again what about all the illegal weapons out there etc. etc. I sure hope a solution can be found because I just don't want to hear anymore about such awful things especially innocent children getting shot. Passing this on.

A tough reality to deal with for sure when the wrong people get guns in their possession, and when they are used as a way to weild such insanity that has caused all of these kinds of tragedies. I is truly a shame, and maybe gun control can help, but it will not fix the mentally ill.

This is a chemically dependant nation for the most part, beginning at infancy, and leading all the way through till old age, processed foods is the start and then all the other drugs being pushed on us in other ways. So its easy for a mind to become subdued today into such a negative condition (Broken & screwed up psyche), as well as all the psychotic subliminal messages we do indeed receive through all forms of entertainment, music, media, movies, etc...

You poem fits right into the puzzle sort to speak, and I commend you Ruby on taking a stand here digitally and calling for all folks to stop and think about it if anything, and to seek real change we all do need, for a much more safer life overall. Thumbs up and out!

To have a gun or to not have a gun - what a controversial topic, with just as much pros as cons...

FACT is: The mentally ill, the potential criminal, SHOULD be identified at an early age and treated! Shame on those parents allowing their children to develop criminal tendencies. Surely no person turn into a murdered overnight. Even an ignorant parent is able to recognize evil in their children. Why not seek professional support in time?

Sorry, my dearest, Ruby, but I honestly don't believe we should blame this tragedy on the availability of guns. There are many ways to kill a bull; the mentally ill will always find a way...

Thought provoking hub, voted up and to be pondered.

I hope I’m not butting in, but wanted to leave this comment for Wayne.

What is missing is awareness and respect. I happen to support the 2nd Amendment, but I think we’ve gone far beyond this in scope with aggressive guns and assault-type weapons readily available at trade shows with no background checks, on the streets, through black markets and blind Internet purchases. (And I’m not counting the stock piles of ammo that can be acquired just as easily.) Thank goodness there are gun owners who are very responsible, and are very aware. You’re one of them. But, and this is a huge “but,” what about other people who aren’t? I don’t think we will ever be able to fully control this – any more than what could have been in place to stop this 20 year-old sick animal from gaining access to an array of aggressive weaponry that was legally acquired by his mother who happened to be a gun enthusiast.

And the answer is not “more guns.” Not in our society that is growing more angrily impulsive and fearful with each passing year, and has such a poor grade with regard to mental health awareness and support systems. I was appalled when someone on a talk show stated that they blamed the Newtown school system for not having guns in every classroom. What about the freedom and rights of those who don’t want to be required to use and store guns in their desks under lock and key? What’s next – the license to carry Bushmasters into malls, movie theatres and church pews for self-defense?

This kid shot his way through a locked glass door, armed with enough ammunition to take out nearly every student in that school. And that is the problem that isn’t going to go away all on its own – it’s only going to get worse. So, I guess my question is, what do we do now?

@always exploring....Your assumptions would be wrong on every count. I am not a hunter and I do not have any trophies on my walls...not even a bowling trophy. I am not a gun fanatic having never attended any gun shows (if that is the litmus test). I own a shotgun, two pistols (which I am trained and licensed to carry) and my dad's old .22 single shot rifle. The only moving thing I have shot at in decades has been a skeet clay, which I do not mount as trophies by the way. My point here is that deviate crimes such as this sick action are not rooted in the tool used. The Murray Federal building (Oklahoma City) did not come crashing down and kill all those people because some idiot had a gun. The family hatchet was just a tool for cutting a little kindling until it fell into the hands a sick little Lizzie Borden. How many things do you have to control with laws and how many rights do you have to take away to do it? You point out your right to campaign to take the guns....I agree with that but what if that right goes away because some other action took place which seemingly justified taking the action? The atrocity carried out in Connecticut could have also been accomplished with a couple of home-made pipe bombs. We have laws against those but it is still possible to make them. Lastly, unless we have stopped living in a country where it takes more than one person in the government to act, I seriously doubt that this president is going to take such actions....unless, of course, he decides to take on the role of tryant...that should'nt involve anyone's rights....right? Maybe it is time to ask ourselves what right we have to kill so many children in partial-birth abortion each year...who cries for them? ~WB

As simple as it sounds, gun control is not an answer to mental issues of disturbed human beings. What after that...baseball bat control laws? double-blade axe control laws? straight-razor control laws? knife control laws? chain-saw control law?....where does it stop in terms of the symbolism of taking action? This situation is a function of mental illness at its roots. The guns employed were the tool. Next time, it may not be a gun...maybe a hammer. When a man enters a school with a hammer and no one else has a weapon, he is king and if his mindset is such, he will dominate and kill with his hammer. Had someone at that school been licensed to carry and alert to such circumstances, the gun could have been the tool that saved lives as well. Bottomline, there was no preparation for the acts of a mentally deranged person looking for targets of opportunity. He took the path of least resistance because he knew it was there. No doubt the situation is overwhelming and heartbreaking but disarming the citizens is not going to avert future tragedies carried out by deranged minds. ~WB

Here, here! Bravo! Standing O! I have SO got your back(as you know..) I am enraged to still see people saying 'this isn't the time..blahblah' WHEN if not now? There are gun shows every day across the country where basically all ya have to do is show a drivers license and like you said - money!

those who say we need to reign in the crazies - yeah - i agree, but - that ain't happening anytime soon, so - in the meantime could we at least make it a wee bit harder for them?

Let's ban the bullets - thereby stepping on nothing (omg) constitutional...nothing 250 years old...nothing the least bit outdated...noooooo...lol..

the nra will be 'dead' in the water with not a word to say if we go for the bullets! i believe obama will do it - 2nd term and all..he looked mighty perturbed..

blahblah...lol

You have hit the nail on the head my friend. I was born in 1951 and I can remember life very differently until the end of the 80's when things seemed to spiral out of control. Well said, voted up,

Jan

Thank you for this. Sad, bad people tend to to do bad things. Even though drug are illegal, bad people easily get them. How do we stop bad people. We follow the laws created to stop them, but they are law breakers.