Thoughts and prayers are not enough

I'm so tired of hearing about mass shootings.

I'm tired of hearing people defend the right to have semi-automatic weapons, but not defend the right for women to make their own constitutionally protected health care decisions.

I don't like that I have to worry about my kid going to school with the threat of being involved in a mass shooting, or about my wife and kid going to our synagogue with a rise in Trump loving anti- semites shooting up these places of worship.

And I should not have to look for exit signs when attending a concert or movie in case some nut brings an AR-15 in.

Yes, wingnuts, I really do believe we should be able to buy and own guns...for protection, hunting or for recreational use. But no average civilian needs a semi-automatic weapon or infinite rounds of ammunition.  And no average citizen should be able to buy a gun without an extensive background check, much less those citizens who happen to be on the terrorist watch list or have unstable mental health.

But the sensible gun control measures those on the left favor are a bridge too far for just about every elected republican and some elected democrats.  They are also a bridge too far for probably 99.9% of Trump supporters.  The gun manufacturers and their lobbyists like the NRA (while having their own issues lately), have way more control over Congress than they should.

We don't have to accept this.  It's getting near impossible to impact change in our country when the wealthy and corporations own our elected officials.  But we should not ever give up.  And we definitely should not be afraid to speak out--like I'm doing right now.