Rumbles and Whispers
It has taken me weeks to begin to write anything that makes mention of the random violence at Sandy Hook. I am working on a novel in which one of my characters is an attorney for the ACLU, defending the mentally ill; people who commit crimes so heinous that no one else will take them on. There is not a lot of sympathy for these people, only a kind of disbelief that such evil can exist in the world. Like most people, I was deeply disturbed by the events that took place in a school in Connecticut, a place where children should be safe. I work in schools regularly as a writer-in-residence. Days after the shooting, I was in a third grade classroom and I noted just how small the children seemed, a mere two years older than the victims. Like many, I shed tears for the families, their beautiful children taken from them in this horrific way. Still, I struggle with our society’s desire for assault weapons, and I fail to understand those who assert second amendment rights as if our founding fathers could ever have conceived of the sophisticated weaponry of the twenty-first century. More protection has not made us safer. I shudder at the possibility of schools with armed guards or worse, armed teachers. I do not claim to understand why our country has become known in this dubious way but I would prefer to live in a society where only law enforcement and military personnel carry weapons.
Mental illness does not absolve one of responsibility for a crime nor should it. It just raises our awareness of the role of society in both recognizing and treating the mentally ill. The stigma of mental illness and the continuing discoveries about the complexity of the brain hinder many from receiving adequate treatment. This may not have prevented this crime but it could help with future acts of violence. It is human nature to want answers when something of this magnitude occurs. We want an assurance that it won’t happen again, that we’ve addressed the issue and our children will be safe. Fortunately our children are safe most of the time.
I don’t know what any of the adults could have done differently that day. The bravery of the teachers was awe-inspiring. None of us can foresee how we would act in such a crisis. All of them did everything possible to protect the children. Lives were saved because of their courage and quick thinking. Community, national, and international support poured in from those who were once again reminded of just how fragile we are, how our hold on this life and the lives of those we love is tenuous. Each tragedy brings us closer to understanding that we must act as one community. Creating bigger, faster, deadlier weapons has made this a more dangerous country. Australia enacted aggressive gun control in 1996 following the deadliest mass shooting in their history. The firearm homicide rate fell by 59% and the firearm suicide rate fell by 65%. Over 600,000 guns were destroyed at a cost of nearly a half -a-billion dollars. The result: you are 15 times more likely to be killed by a gun in the U.S. than in Australia. There has not been a mass shooting since 1996 in Australia. I am sure there were rumbles from people about losing certain freedoms. I believe that a majority saw the benefit later. Does freedom require a weapon? Can we retain our individual choice without the ability to own guns? I am no authority on this subject, having never owned a weapon. I prefer words with occasional sharp edges and explosive punctuation. It is the only tool for change I have.
Literary Imaginings by Lisa C. Taylor 