Blue Planet Journey

Since our family expanded into Colorado, we've made a number of trips to the Centennial State.  There's a lot to be said about the qualities of the state, including the politics, the sunshine, the breweries, and the protected natural areas.  Colorado is not perfect, obviously.  But there is one issue that is very sobering... school shootings. Although it was not the first, the killings at Columbine High School  in 1999 put the topic on the national map.  You would think that this tragedy would shake our national psyche to its very core, resulting in meaningful and significant actions to keep something similar from ever happening again.  That was not the case , with deranged shooters now targeting even the most innocent at elementary schools .  I know a person who lost a nephew at Sandy Hook Elementary  in 2012, and his grief was endless and life-shaking.  Can there be a more sadistic and sinister act than shooting young child...

Requiring a demonstration of proficiency with firearms seems to be a no-brainer. Unless you've been living secluded in a one-room cabin in Lincoln,  Montana, you've heard about the most recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. What a terrible event, and what a terrible thing to even write, "the most recent school shooting."  I can't fathom how I would think or react if a shooting happened at Noelani Elementary School, or Logan High School, or other schools where my children attended.  Students, parents, teachers, and school administrators are clamoring for something to be done.  Gun enthusiasts are pushing back... "Guns don't kill people.  People kill people." I'm no expert in policing, community safety, school administration, or constitutional law. My frame of reference is shaped by avoiding the likes of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh as if they were carriers of the plague (with apologies ...