You all know, I'm sure, what happened this Wednesday - on Valentine's Day, of all occasions - at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Now yet another school on the tragic "honour" roll of ones which have seen mass shootings. I don't know how to say any of this newly, considering the media and political coverage and my history of anti-gun sentiment. But even though I'm no public figure I'd be ashamed of myself if I kept quiet about it, even if speaking up means risking being seen as trying to capitalise on it (I'm not).
Frankly, America, your biggest killer is your Second Amendment. 24-hour news networks alone can tell you that. It has to go; that's the only way to cease the massacres whose perpetrators seem to insist on trying to outdo all their predecessors. If you respond to "The right to bear arms" with "How about the right to live?" that's reasonable, but it should not take a massacre for you to express such things. Working to curb the level of gun violence in your nation will also help its international image greatly.
I remember in 1999, the day after the Columbine massacre, my Year 6 teachers (as it was a double class) sat us all down for a talk about it. Nineteen years later, I'm sure classrooms worldwide have sadly been prompted this week to have similar discussions, which could be quite difficult for both teachers and students. Some things that shouldn't change do, but not others that should, and America, your gun culture, I firmly believe, is in the latter category.
My thoughts and condolences go out to all the casualties, taken far too soon, and their families and friends.
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