Natural disasters like Super Storm Sandy are hard enough to endure. Unnatural disasters like what took place 10 miles from my home strain the ability to process and understand. The tragedy on Friday took place in a town where people move to in order to avoid random acts of chaos thought to be symptomatic of more urban environments. There is the additional irony that the guns that people buy for protection are turned inward on those who need most protecting and the owners of the guns themselves. In a country with more guns than people, we must admit that we have a problem. The uncomfortable reality is that in this country, at this time, there is no stopping a lunatic with a weapon intent on destroying others and themselves. As we wring our hands searching for answers to the unanswerable, at a time that should have been joyous, particularly for the children, we must not conclude that leadership is irrelevant to the resolution of this crisis of community. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and the survivors. As President Obama said on Friday afternoon, we need "meaningful action" now to stop this epidemic of random acts of violence. If we do not take action, no one is safe, regardless of how many guns you might personally own. In fact, if there are any lessons from this tragedy, it is that sick people combined with the easy availability of guns are the problem. We must solve the problem of sociopathic behavior and the problem of guns in order to avoid the spreading of this disease. Next time it might be your town instead of Littleton, Aurora, Blacksburg, Portland, or Newtown.
Dr. Fred
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