I have worked in the field of hospice for many years and I see how fiercely people try to hold on to life and how much they value living another day.
These unfortunate ones drew the terminal illness card and were just unlucky. Some are fortunate to have a disease that can be treated and sometimes cured. I think one could say that our society has an illness of epidemic proportions that is causing us to allow anyone to own the weaponry that is used so routinely.
Semi-automatic weapons were designed for war and for the military to use. Even the police are not generally armed with such killing machines now used anywhere for the sole purpose of mowing down many and having few survivors. Trauma surgeons report that the “survivors” are difficult to treat as the bullet shreds whatever it comes in contact with.
I awaken nearly every day feeling anxiety, disappointment and a general malaise lately. It’s not like me. That is not in my nature. But once again we hear the same refrains, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families” and “Now is not the time to politicize the gun issue.” Really? Not a week goes by without another tragedy.
The next slaughter is a day away. Don’t our leaders find it remarkable that, instead of fire drills in elementary and high schools, we have active shooter drills? The rampage in Florida on Valentine’s Day was the 18th time a gun went off in a school setting since the start of the new year. Mass shootings in the United States have become so common we have become blasé to them. They happen so frequently, we forget the last one when the next one happens.
I felt certain, when the little children and their teachers in the small town in Connecticut were gunned down in their classrooms, that our legislators would feel compelled to make changes. More than 90 percent of the population felt that we needed more gun control.
The legislators walked into the congressional proceedings past dozens of grieving parents and still did nothing. They averted their eyes to the pictures of the cherubic faces the parents held begging for change in the laws. That was 2012, nearly six years ago. I have lost count of the numbers of schools, churches, theaters and music venues since then. I believe it deserves the description of carnage. I thought carnage happened elsewhere in war-torn countries, Third World countries, not here.
Until we sever the connection the National Rifle Association has on our elected representatives, the casualties will continue to mount. Hold them accountable or vote them out. Hound them daily to listen. Wouldn’t you think it hit closer to home when it happened at the congressional ball field last year? More than $54 million was donated to the 2016 campaign for our current president and many Republicans running for Congress. Sen. Marco Rubio, in whose state the last slaughter happened, is beholden to over $3 million in NRA donations.
I propose nationwide background checks for all gun owners. Prevent the mentally ill from having guns by listing those at risk for the behavior. Background checks for private sales and gun shows. Federal mandatory waiting period on all gun purchases. A ban on modifications that make a semi-automatic work like an automatic. Ban the sale of guns to people convicted of violent crimes. A ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. A federal database to track gun ownership. Allow the CDC to study gun violence.
It’s probably not enough. But it’s a start.
Patricia Sadoski
Patricia Sadoski, Logan, is a longtime hospice nurse and a consultant for senior advocacy and independence with Cache Valley Senior Consulting.