Letter: What is the Magic Number? How many have to be killed?
(Mike Stocker | South Florida Sun-Sentinel | The Associated Press) In this Feb. 14, 2018 file photo, students hold their hands in the air as they are evacuated by police from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., after a shooter opened fire on the campus. Students are taught to evacuate during fire alarms but lock down during school shootings. So there was confusion Wednesday when a fire alarm sounded, the second one that day at the high school as 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Head for the exits or hunker down in classrooms?
It’s Feb. 14, and yet another mass shooting. Doesn’t matter when, the only variations are where, and how many, this time. Another opportunity for elected officials, religious leaders, etc., to offer their “thoughts and prayers” and proclaim that the flag will fly at half-staff. It seems that the flag flies at half-staff far too frequently.
But to the devastated family members, this official grandstanding is nothing more than useless, meaningless palaver. “We’re sorry, but we won’t do anything substantial.”
These ongoing tragedies scream for a national outrage, to ask our executive, legislative, judicial and Second Amendment officials to answer simply, “What is the Magic Number? How many have to be killed before you do something substantial to end the carnage?”
Ask this of your president, your congressional representative, your senator, your state legislators and governor, the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre. What is the Magic Number?
If they won’t respond, pledge vocally and forcefully that you will not vote for nor support them for any position they seek from now and forever. It may appear to be tilting at windmills, but as angry and possibly powerless as we are, our vote is all we have.
Sherman William Hale, Holladay
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