McGuire Megna Attorneys, An Association of Professionals

Children Shall Lead Us

Children Shall Lead Us

In the wake of the Parkland tragedy, it’s our kids who are showing us the way.  They aren’t tweeting “thoughts and prayers” but demanding something concrete be done to stop the school shootings and the carnage.  They are doing what we adults should have done a long time ago.

“Our message is very simple,” said Tanzil Philip, 16, a sophomore from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “Never again. This never should have happened.”

Philip was among the 100 students from the Parkland high school who traveled in a three-bus caravan to demand gun restrictions a week after the deadly shooting that left 17 of their classmates and teachers dead. It is the first official event of the student’s #NeverAgain movement as they try to change gun and mental health laws in an effort to have their school be the last one riddled by a mass shooting.

“We are fighting for the kids we lost. We are fighting for the kids we’re going to have,” said Sophie Whitney, after the eight-hour drive. She and a busload of classmates were greeted late Tuesday by hundreds of cheering students at Leon High School, followed by pizza and ice cream.

Where are the adults in all this?  Where are our elected officials?  Oh, there are a few adults speaking out like real estate developer Al Hoffman Jr. who told CNN’s Ana Cabrera on Sunday that he would not give money to lawmakers if they did not spring into action, confirming he had sent an email to GOP leaders explaining his decision.  President Trump has acted by directing the Attorney General to ban bump fire stocks.  “Just a few moments ago I signed a memo directing the attorney general to propose regulations that ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns,” Trump said at a Medal of Valor event at the White House, addressing Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

But the problem is deeper and more widespread than this.  What about the lobbying groups such as the NRA and the makers of violent, so-called reality video games?  When will these groups take responsibility for the violence?

In a Facebook post a few days ago, I said, “Gun control?  The reason it is so difficult is the gun lobby. They feel any limits on on gun sales will hurt their business. The assault weapons ban that President Clinton signed in 1994 pissed off the NRA and the democrats paid for it. The ban expired in 2004 and democrats are afraid to do anything for self serving reasons. The gun lobby is to gun reform as pro choice women are to any abortion restrictions. Pro choice voters believe that any restrictions will lead to an eventual overturn of Roe vs Wade which gave women the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy or not. The government is not going to take that away. Once Americans have a right they never really give it up. The same is true with guns. They are not going to go door to door and take your guns, ever. People who are convicted felons can never possess a gun and we need to expand that to people with mental health issues, even If temporary. I sought help for situational depression during my divorce and if the government said I should not have a gun during that time I’d be ok with that. I have two friends who murdered their wives and then killed them selves with their children home. Anyone who has been through a divorce has had situational depression or your just completely nuts or a liar. Mental health doesn’t kill people, but guns do. Don’t be afraid to speak up and together we can make a difference.

We need to make America Safe Again!

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