Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Don't Shoot Me

The recent violence at Sandy Hook Elementary impacted me in a couple of ways first and foremost the community’s name was New Town and secondly my New Town had been impacted by gun violence earlier that week.  While I am glad to say no one was killed on my end the impact from gun violence was nonetheless all the same. 

I am no gun owner; quite frankly I never saw the need to own one myself.  Needless to say I don’t own a pit bull, firecrackers or any hazardous materials either and personally I am happy and whole just the same.  I said that to say while I have a hefty respect for others to own guns ownership should not put everyone at risk.  Communities, in particular children deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being able to live healthy and whole lives free of random shootings at the hands of gun owners legal or illegal.  While the death of innocent children is a collective tragedy, so is the shooting of 5 people in the New Town Success Zone and 10 people both Saturday and Sunday in Chicago, Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin. 

Finally, violence, in particular gun violence does not have to be the norm for any of us and it should not take the death of innocent children to force us to have a substantive conversation about it.  If you feel your personal safety is that much at risk that you feel compelled to arm yourself maybe you should stop and look in the mirror and ask yourself why am I so at risk compared to the countless other people who don’t carry a gun? 

This is my truth and I AM sticking to it…

Irvin PeDro Cohen