A "Stray" Bullet

I watched a story on the news today about Nicolas Tijerina, a young man who walked across the stage with the assistance of a walker at his high school graduation.  He had been injured when he was at middle school basketball tryouts in Tx in 2011 when he was hit by a "stray bullet". What is a "stray bullet"?  That statement puts the blame on the bullet and takes away any blame from whoever shot it.  The bullet didn't just wander off and speed into this boy's spine.  Someone shot it.  That someone was Dustin Wesley Cook, a "competitive marksman" who ultimately wound up with 3 years probation after paralyzing one boy and causing another boy to have a kidney removed. Cook is a free man today although Nicolas and Edson, the other boy who was also hit by a "stray bullet", will never be the same.  I say There is No Such Thing as a "Stray Bullet".  They don't go shooting off all by themselves.  That terminology should not even exist.  People need to be held responsible for their actions.  Gun owners need to be held responsible for anything that happens with their guns. A gun is for shooting and is a weapon that is made for killing.  If you chose to own one, there are no accidents.  You chose to own a weapon that is meant to kill.   No, guns don't kill people.  Bullets don't go stray on their own and kill people either.  People kill other people using guns.  An "accidental death" from a gunshot is different than many other accidental deaths because the cause of death is from a weapon that was created to kill.  People drown in water, but water wasn't created to kill.  People die in car crashes, but cars weren't created to kill.  Guns are weapons whose purpose is to kill.  If you don't want to kill, you don't need a gun.  In order to get a driver's license, people have to watch videos about car wrecks and things that can go wrong.  Before being allowed to purchase a gun, in addition to rigorous training and background checks, people should have to watch videos about "accidental" gun deaths.  They need to be fully aware of the fact that they are purchasing an item that is intended for killing.

Thoughts on Gun Control

Thoughts on gun control.  A few weeks ago there was a big police stand off in my sister's very nice neighborhood. One of her neighbors, a licensed gun owner had been shooting his gun. Apparently, he had been taking Ambien and he doesn't remember the incident. 

My daddy owned 33 guns, was a proud Democrat and a proud member of the NRA. Years ago, my father, a licensed gun owner who kept his guns in gun safes, shot a hole in the ceiling because he thought he heard something outside. He had been taking a narcotic sleeping medication.  We found out that he was only supposed to take it for two weeks and he had been taking it for two months.  Years earlier, although my father kept his guns in gun safes, one day his wife got hold of one of the guns and shot a hole in a window. 

A couple of years ago, my friend's 18 year old brother got into his father's locked gun safe and went out and shot and killed someone. His father wasn't aware that his son could get into the gun safe. He is in prison for a long time. He says the voices in his head told him to do it. He and his father were licensed gun owners. 

A few years ago, a classmate of my son's committed suicide - with a gun. A couple of years ago, one of my daughter's classmates got hold of his father's gun. His father was a police officer. The boy is dead. They said it was accidental. 

Many years ago when I was teaching middle school, two of my students skipped school and got hold of one of their parent's guns. One girl shot the other. She shot most of her guts out. She survived but would have to have a colostomy bag the rest of her life. 

 A very long time ago, my grandfather ran a pawn shop. He was robbed by a man who tied up his hands and put him in the bathroom, took the money and merchandise and left. So, my grandfather got a gun. He hid it in the bathroom and drilled a hole in the door to shoot through. The same man returned and robbed him again and put him in the bathroom. He was so drunk, that he didn't do a good job tying my grandfather's hands and he quickly got free and retrieved the hidden gun and shot the man through the hole in the door. He killed him. The police were glad because the man had been robbing many shops. My grandfather was horrified because he had not intended to kill the man, just to stop him. He quit that job and could no longer work there because he was traumatized by what he had done.

Guns are for killing.  They shouldn't be considered toys or collector's items.  

We need much stricter gun control laws and we for need the laws that are in place to be followed and carried out. 

I thought that not knowing
was the worst thing,
because I thought that when we knew what it was,
they could fix it.
Then I found out that knowing,
knowing that it is unfixable,
having an expiration date,
is worse.
Seeing your loved one in pain
and not being able to fix it,
knowing that nothing that you do can really help them feel better,
and nothing will make them be better
because it is uncurable
fatal
perhaps sooner
perhaps later.
It sucks.
Seeing that so many other people are also stuggling,
suffering,
with the same or similar things,
makes the world a sadder place.

So, if a person could see , and then became blind as an adult,  do they still see in their dreams?

Greed and hatred
fear and war
will there soon
be nothing more?
Those in fear
have elected
the greedy ones
they think are their salvation.
They are not.

Wall

The Donald wants to build a wall
The Donald says we need to
To be protection for us all
From those who aren't like him
The Donald says we need a wall
I think he may be right
We need a wall around The Donald

Protecting us all from him.

An Ode To "The Red Wheelbarrow" and my cat

The white cat
Staring out the window
Contemplates
The red birds