We Are Okay

Dear friends,
Many of you seem to have heard recently that there was a shooting near the university where my husband works. We both appreciate your calls and emails, seeking reassurance that we are okay. For the record, we are okay.

This event has stirred a few different emotions in me. First, fear, followed immediately by relief, followed immediately by sadness. The first time I heard of the shooting was when The Black Belt texted me to say that it had happened and that he was okay. So I went to the news and found that it was a serious tragedy; three people died, and apparently others were injured. What was also shocking was how close this took place to The Black Belt's Building. I had previously thought that with campus being so huge, this all probably happened way off in some other corner. Not so. So I had one of those horrible "What if...?" moments that passes through you in less than a second and leaves you a bit shaken. Of course, relief came next, since the reality was that my husband was okay and the danger had passed. Then I thought of the husbands that were not okay and felt deep sadness for their loss.

None of this needed to happen. This was not some criminal mastermind carrying out a nefarious scheme he had been planning for weeks. This was (so it seems) a guy who reacted extremely to a situation he found himself in at that moment. And three people died because of it. So I wonder, what if he had not been in possession of a gun? I can't see any other answer than, "This wouldn't have happened." That opens up many other questions. Is there any way to make gun control a reality? And if there were, would it make a difference? When I think about trying to make gun ownership illegal, I think of the Prohibition and how well THAT worked...Would this be any different? And some people say that if we outlawed gun ownership, then only the bad guys would have them. But bad guys already have them. How many crimes/tragedies are truly prevented by "a good guy" having a gun? (I'm not making a rhetorical statement here. I would really like to know.) All I really know is that if a certain man hadn't had a gun yesterday, three families would not be mourning today.