This morning I think of all of the mothers who are sending their kids to school today in fear that they might not make it back home. It's an incredibly sad testament to a society that interprets the "right to bear arms" as the right to have as many guns in as many places as they choose regardless of who might get a hold of them. The fact of the matter is, we shouldn't have to worry for our children's safety when they leave for school. A scraped knee? Some hurt feelings over an intense game of tag? Sure. Those are the kinds of "wounds" I would expect my kid to come home with after a day at school. I'm sick of the argument that this tragedy shouldn't be politicized. It's not true. This is exactly the kind of tragedy that needs to be politicized. Yes, we need stronger gun laws. All of those ignorant NRA members who think that this is a violation of their rights need to educate themselves and realize that THEY are part of the problem that caused this tragedy. All of those ignorant people who say that Obamacare is ruining our healthcare system, ask someone who is caring for a family member with mental illness how important health insurance is. I'm not saying this as some bleeding heart liberal that comes from a family of liberals and has never touched a gun. As a matter of fact, I come from a long line of military and law enforcement and in the interest of full disclosure my husband and I do have a gun in our house. Yes, I know how to shoot it and load it. Also, in the interest of full disclosure; the gun case is locked, it's in a shelf out of reach to our children, and it's not loaded. There is absolutely no rational reason for anyone to own semi-automatic weapons for recreation. None. Could this tragedy have been prevented? Yes. A hundred times yes. Contrary to the Westboro Baptist Church and their odd belief that everything bad in this country can be blamed on the gays, I'm going to lay the blame squarely on the conservative Christian right. There's nothing Christian about owning a gun, there's nothing Christian about murder, and there is absolutely nothing Christian about putting your own selfish desires ahead of the common good. Maybe, just maybe, this is God's (Allah's, Buddah's, Yaweh's, etc) way of telling us the time for change is NOW.

As I write this, I look at my own young son and I think about all of the mothers who lost their babies to a person with mental illness who also had access to guns.  I pray that God brings peace to their hearts and I pray that their little ones did not die in vain and soon, very soon, we will be able to send our babies to school with the knowledge that guns should not fall into the wrong hands.