I feel like I’m stuck in a Groundhog Day loop, but not in that Bill Murray, zany hijinks kind of way.  It’s more like a bone weary, tilting at windmills, nothing ever changes state of being.  As a matter of fact, at this point I’m feeling pretty certain that actually banging my head against a wall would provoke a better backlash than what I’m seeing out there right now.

My friend Derek summed it up perfectly on his Facebook page a couple of weeks ago:

“Elementary school students, servicemen at military bases, churchgoers, moviegoers, a Congresswoman, college students, restaurant diners, Walmart shoppers.

Exactly what type of people in America are going to need to be shot in gun-violence incidents before something is actually done about it? 

The liberty to own a gun is infringing upon life and the pursuit of happiness.”

Exactly.

I’m outraged, bewildered, terrified, and exhausted.  I look at the state of things and wonder how the hell we got here, then wonder why the hell we aren’t doing anything to change it.  BrightSide can tell you I’ve got plenty to say on this subject, but it seems like it’s all been said before so I’ve stewed without blogging until now.  Derek makes a much more eloquent argument, though.  This violence has touched people from every walk of life – how is it possible that we’re still having the same pointless conversations while more lives are cut short?

We keep piling on the statistics – more and more people dead by gun violence – but every incident is treated the same.  We wring our hands, endure the argument that guns don’t kill people/people kill people, then wait for the next tragedy before beginning the whole cycle again.

Doesn’t anyone else want to scream from the rooftops?  I know a lot of people who are tired of the death tolls, but I don’t hear the screaming yet.  Maybe our individual voices are scattering to the wind, insufficient against the blustery arguments for maintaining a status quo that’s killing off thousands upon thousands each year.

I worry that we’re too subdued, muttering amongst ourselves that this is crazy and wrong and unacceptable on every level.  I worry that the screaming will come too late, when someone we love is finally counted among the dead.

I worry.

Here’s something that is well worth your time.  After reading this, there’s no denying exactly how far down the rabbit hole we’ve gone…

Land of the free. – I Am Begging My Mother Not To Read This Blog