I’ve heard our nation's gun violence epidemic described as Groundhog Day. Yet, the escalating, massacres that are unfolding every day are not only a repeating but worsening beyond belief.  How do we break the cycle of violence?  

David Brooks shared an interesting perspective on PBS News Hour (June 3, 2022) and how the polarization of politics has led to a sense of being part of a tribe within the Republican party. When you are part of a tribe there is unquestionable loyalty. Therefore, although the majority of Americans are in support of gun safety legislation, members of congress do not step out in support gun control meaures due to fears of being banished. For example, when a former Colorado legislator put forth a bill to enact improved gun safety in response to a shooting in his community, gun rights groups came out and blasted him for it. Ultimately, the bill did not pass and he did not run for re-election.

When working to approach a middle ground to address this evolving catastrophic, paralytic dysfunction one must first, as President Biden stated in his address this week, honor a person’s right to gun ownership. Perhaps by reframing the issue in this way can offer a glimmer of hope.

Brooks stressed the need to distinguish between defensive gun ownership to protect one’s family versus offensive gun violence and the availability of military grade semi-automatic weapons sole funtion is to kill large groups of people. Handguns are the most common firearm used in mass shootings, but semi-automatic rifles were used in four of the five deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

We have turned these weapons upon our own children!

It is apparent to me that we can no longer leave this up to legislators. Each of us need to do our part, vote, march, pray, scream our sacred rage from the rooftops, take a stand. Will we respond or fall back into complacency? This is the question that weighs heavy on my heart. How will I respond?

“It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”  Anne Frank

I leave you with a blessing from Jan Richardson

Blessing in a Time of Violence

Which is to say
this blessing
is always.

Which is to say
there is no place
this blessing
does not long
to cry out
in lament,
to weep its words
in sorrow,
to scream its lines
in sacred rage.

Which is to say
there is no day
this blessing ceases
to whisper
into the ear
of the dying,
the despairing,
the terrified.

Which is to say
there is no moment
this blessing refuses
to sing itself
into the heart
of the hated
and the hateful,
the victim
and the victimizer,
with every last
ounce of hope
it has.

Which is to say
there is none
that can stop it,
none that can
halt its course,
none that will
still its cadence,
none that will
delay its rising,
none that can keep it
from springing forth
from the mouths of us
who hope,
from the hands of us
who act,
from the hearts of us
who love,
from the feet of us
who will not cease
our stubborn, aching
marching, marching

until this blessing
has spoken
its final word,
until this blessing
has breathed
its benediction
in every place,
in every tongue:

Peace.
Peace.
Peace.

— Jan Richardson

 © Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com.

May you know the deep love of the One who hung every star in the sky, and indeed breathed whole galaxies into being. As you go through this day, may your breath be a reminder that you are known, held, and loved. May your laughter be a balm and may your every tear be collected in the palm of a merciful God who calls you beloved. – Kayla Craig

 Liz Sorensen Wessel
Artwork by ~liz