By Carol Lucas
It would seem that, once again, it is time to revisit the topic of gun violence. It has been 12 years since a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, killing 20 children and six school staff. Since that time, there have been 189 school shootings with 279 casualties. Those are just school shootings.
It is pointless to create a long list of mass shootings that have occurred since the Sandy Hook slaughter. As I researched this, one statistic did stick out, however. In 2023, there were more mass shootings than there were days in the year. Now this atrocity has been placed on the doorstep of the Presidency.
The young man who committed the shooting this past weekend lived in Bethel Park, Pa. For 35 years, I resided in the community adjoining Bethel Park in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh, so this has hit close to home. Thus far we know very little about him except that a former classmate called him a ‘loner who was often ridiculed.’
Last evening I was entertaining friends and celebrating the 91st birthday of a dear friend. It was a joyful occasion until the phone rang and the news was delivered. We didn’t know the particulars at the time, but all of us, ironically all from western Pa., were shocked. Gun violence had struck again.
If you have read my columns, you know that I have no time for Donald Trump. I find everything about him reprehensible, from his sexual abuse to his willingness to incite an insurrection. That said, I have never at any time advocated a violent removal of this man. Let me repeat, I have never advocated for violence!
Whatever your politics, surely you realize the greater problem in this terrible situation. It isn’t who you are for or against, it’s the guns! A 20 year old had access to an AR-15 rifle. At this point, the report states that the gun belonged to the father. How many times have we heard this or at least a variation on the theme?
Let’s look at a little history and some of what may have led to this horrific incident.
There is a Supreme Court that has granted immunity to a President, the highest official of our land, even if he or she chooses to have someone killed or imprisoned.
There is the attack with a hammer on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul. And consider the threatened abduction and killing of Gretchen Whitmer.
One Facebook post said this: “Now it’s (violence) on the other side, and people are losing it. I do not condone what happened but am not surprised. These things happen to thugs. Trump and his mafia promote violence, and now people are outraged that it’s used against him.”
And speaking of the candidate, he has said he could kill someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would stand by him. This same candidate who incited a violent insurrection has also said he will release these “patriots” who are jailed, should he become President again.
This is a man who has hyped, indeed, encouraged violence. Little did he think, I’m sure, that rhetoric could come back to haunt him.
So an atmosphere of violence has been established, that predilection which feeds upon itself. The verbiage is there, either stated directly or implied. And it has become accepted.
Then there is this: ammunition is now available in machines in some grocery stores in the south. As one friend proclaimed, “Next, you will find them in boxes of Cracker Jacks as the prize.” There might as well be a sign on each machine reading “Inclined to be violent? Step right up and insert your credit card below.”
Before going to bed Saturday night, I accessed social media. Again, it is no well-kept secret that I am adamantly against another Trump administration, and my posts reflect this.
What I found was a response to one of my anti-Trump posts from a so-called ‘friend,’ saying this: “It is this kind of post that causes what happened today.” Really? It isn’t the fast and loose, in fact, the almost negligible laws governing gun possession?
It’s just this kind of finger pointing and excuse making that describes what has become of our society. Instead of taking on the gun lobby, let’s divert the attention away from the real problem and come up with another, albeit shaky, target.
In conclusion, I see that members of one extreme faction have claimed the shooting was an elaborate ploy to generate sympathy for Trump. At the same time, members of the opposing extreme faction have attempted to claim that President Biden is responsible for the attack.
What about those of us in the center? Do we have the numbers and the strength to stave off the lunacy of the above claims? My only answer is, “Hopefully.”
Innocent people have died or were critically wounded. Virtually every leading Democrat has condemned the violence with a loud voice, and Biden has both condemned the violence and spoken to Trump directly. Part of me wants to ask if this would have happened had the roles been reversed. That, however, flies in the face of my reason for writing this piece.
Every aspect of our being that retains a shred of moral fiber must join hands and solidify that much-desired center. In doing so, we must say, “Enough is enough!” To do otherwise and continue as we have been doing will surely cause us to self-destruct.
Yes, I will continue to write about what I find objectionable about former President Trump. I perceive that it is a perilous time for our democracy. But I will never advocate violence. Never!
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
