We Are All Guilty

We are heartbroken, angry and scared. Again.We want things to change but we feel powerless.What can you do about a madman who decides that his life is worth so little that he’ll risk it, or take it, while taking a bunch of others in the process?We can scream, we can vote, we can be really careful and tell our kids they are only allowed to go into places that have metal detectors and bag searches at the door.But we know the truth.There are more guns than people in this country.We can be really tough on guns but these murderers don’t seem worried about consequences.They say guns don’t kill people. People kill people.That’s true.Actually people with guns kill people.People with guns can kill a lot of people. Very easily and very quickly.And you want to know the dirty little secret?We are totally fine with it.We are. As as a society we are totally fine with it.Because we let our boys practice killing people every time they sit down to play a video game.And we ACTIVELY DESENSITIZE OURSELVES from the shock and horror of gun violence every time we watch a commercial filled with shooting.These little things are happening in MOST HOMES across America EVERY SINGLE DAY.I was watching the World Series with my family and, I am not kidding you, EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL BREAK had a commercial that involved gun violence. It was 8:00 at night. My 6 year old son was watching. And EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL BREAK I had to cover his eyes and mute the freaking television. Including, by the way, a commercial from the US ARMY that made war look like a super fun, exciting video game! Have we lost our freaking minds???!!!What are those commercials telling my kid?That guns are NORMAL.That guns are FUN.That guns are EXCITING.That guns make you POWERFUL.All in a 20 second commercial spot.I am so sick of the lies.Stop the blaming the politicians and start following the money my friends.Gun culture is BIG BUSINESS in our country and we are supporting it!Yes it’s the NRA. Absolutely. We have to deal with them. But we also have to stop inviting GUNS into our family rooms and our basements and our kids’ bedrooms! We have to turn off the TV when these commercials come on and tell our service providers that we’re going to cancel our subscriptions if we see violent commercials before 10pm. We have to stop supporting violent movies. And we have to wrench the freaking XBOX controllers out of our son’s hands so that they can slowly begin to detox from the thrill of shooting. We have to stop telling ourselves that there is nothing wrong with the violent images we fill our minds with every single day!What if our sons were playing video games where they were running around raping women? Would you pause for a second and think maybe that activity isn’t really very good for the young brain? Why is shooting any better? It’s just as dehumanizing! It’s just as destructive!This is a super complicated problem. We all know that. But we actually have some power to do something on the cultural front. We can defend our lifestyles and blame the problem on someone else, or we can admit that we are a part of the problem and start making changes in our own homes.Nothing is going to change until we change ourselves. It’s like drinking and driving — there can be a million PSA’s but ultimately you’re the one who has to decide if you’re going to get behind the wheel of the car. Do you care enough to take a stand in your own life? In your own home? We have to be willing to give up things that we enjoy, and to risk making our kids mad, if we want things to change. We are fooling ourselves if we think Washington can — or will — do it for us. And we don’t have time to wait for them to figure things out.Do your part. TODAY. Lay those violent video games and movies and even the Nerf guns at the foot of the cross and beg for mercy. And may the good Lord help us in our distress.