Yet another mass shooting in America

I keep reading about the latest horrific mass shooting in the United States, this one in the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

In what seems darkly appropriate for what this country has become, this shooting took place during a July 4 parade.

The following is yet another rant that I feel compelled to get out of my system.

I'm not sure if there is a state of mind that is just "beyond angry." I am so disgusted with the continual inaction of our lawmakers to do one single goddamned thing about gun violence and/or gun law reform. It seems like I say the very same thing every single time one of these massacres of innocent life takes place.

Reading about two-year old Aidan, who lost both of his parents yesterday, sent me over the edge. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Why do we continue to allow this to happen? Why has the right to "the pursuit of happiness" been superceded by the right of any nutcase to arm himself to the gills (and it's ALWAYS "himself" and not "herself" when it comes to these rampages).

It is to the point where I no longer feel safe in public. I mean, I do go outside of course, but I'm always aware of my surroundings. But it's not just "outside" where these shootings take place. In fact, it seems more often indoors. So I don't feel completely safe at work either. Our gun laws are so lax and it's so easy for anyone to get their hands on weapons of mass killing (AR-15, I'm looking at you) that there is little one can do if some random wackjob decides to go rogue.

There was a time when I'd find thoughts like this to be over reaction, but now I find them fairly reasonable. It is true that statistically, the likelihood of me or my family being victims of gun violence is small, but it's still there. And the seeming randomness of mass shootings makes everyday life feel like a game of roulette.

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