Dear Editor:
I am weary of the meaningless repetition of "tragic," "incomprehensible" and "horrifying" as we again tally the dead. Perhaps the death of 20 "babies" as NRA member, West Virginia Sen. Joe Mancin stated will begin a conversation we must commence.
A partial recitation of similar tragedies should require our addressing this failure of our political system to confront whether there are some Americans who should never own a gun. Newtown, Conn., 26 dead, 20 babies and six adults! Chardon High School in Ohio in February, 2012, three dead. Atlanta in April, 2012, five killed in suburbs. Oakland, California in April, 2012, at N. California University, seven dead. Tulsa in a racially motivated spree also in April, three dead, two wounded. Aurora, Colo. theater, 12 dead, 58 wounded. Oak Creek, Wis. in August at the Sikh Temple, six killed, three wounded. Minneapolis Sign Company in September, 2012, five killed. Wisconsin Spa shooting in October, 2012, three dead. Portland at the Clackamas Mall also in December, 2012, two dead and one wounded. Tucson in January, 2011, six dead including another baby. Geneva County, Ala., in March, 2009, 10 dead. Binghamton, New York in April, 2009, at an immigrant resource center, 13 dead and four wounded. Also, in April, 2009, within two weeks Pittsburg, Penn. and Oakland, Calif., witnessed the killing of seven police officers. Knoxville in July, 2008, at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church, two dead and five wounded.
Kirkwood, Mo., in February, 2008, at City Hall, six dead and two wounded. DeKalb, Illinois, at Northern Illinois University also in February, 2008, five dead. Omaha shopping mall in December, 2007, eight dead. Cleveland, Ohio, at the SuccessTech Academy in October, 2007, 14-year-old wounds four, commits suicide. Crandon, Wis., in October, 2007, Tyler Peterson leaves six dead. Virginia Tech in April, 2007, 32 dead and 17 wounded. Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City in February, 2007, five dead. Nickel Mines, Penn., at the Amish School in October, 2006, five babies dead, five wounded. Knoxville, Tenn., in November, 2005, 14-year-old leaves assistant principal dead, two administrators wounded. In May, 2005, teen Scott Moody kills grandparents, mother, sister and one of her friends, one wounded. Redlake, Minn., in March, 2005, 17-year-old leaves four dead, five wounded. Cold Springs, Minn., in September, 2003, at Rocori High School 15-year-old kills two.
And the body count climbs with Columbine, Luby's Cafeteria, the Long Island Railroad and more in the queue.