Innocence Snuffed by Hatred

How twenty-one plus lives were lost at the hand of an 18-year-old shooter.

America has so much blood on its hand as it continues to allow guns to fall into the hands of people who have caused mass shootings throughout this country. The NRA and the second amendment are partially the cause of every mass shooting that has occurred. Twenty-seven school shootings have occurred in 2022. There have been 212 mass shootings in America. A decade ago there was the Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut mass shooting, on December 14, 2012, killing 20 children and six adults, and now here we go again.

What does it take for politicians and the NRA to wake up and realize the error of their ways and that greed and power are accomplices in killing young innocent people? How do they sleep at night knowing they could have avoided these 21 deaths and others that happened prior? What happens when a gunman arrives on their doorsteps killing one of their family members?

Twenty-one kids were sent to school to be educated as their parents saw them off and today these kids have been killed by a shooter whose agenda is yet to be determined.

Apparently, according to the news, the shooter, Salvador Ramos, 18, had just turned eighteen a few days ago and at that time bought a gun, an AR15 rifle. He arrived at the school and shot up one classroom killing two adults, 21 elementary students, and wounding about seventeen others, adults and students).

Imagine the horror of those students before being shot to death, the horror of the students who survived, and the horror of the two teachers being shot to death. The media has not advised how many students were in the class overall.

This all happened at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a predominantly Latino community of 16,000 people approximately 80 miles west of San Antonio. All is heartbreaking and beyond words of solace to each family affected.

This is horrific and adding another horrific thought was Ted Cruz on the news talking about the possibility of the NRA being attacked or the 2nd Amendment being the blame for this mass shooting. I did not hear a word of condolences to the families who lost their children or the fact this was a horrendous and deadly act of cruelty against humanity. Wow!!

America has become like the wild wild west as other countries look at America as being out of control with guns. This country is the only country suffering mass shootings throughout the land and next to nothing is being done to arrest or prevent guns from falling into the hands of those with ill-will intent. These types of shootings are premeditated.

Salvador Ramos was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent and there remain tons of unanswered questions. Why this school? What was his connection to Robb Elementary school? Was sit random? What drove him to commit such a travesty against humanity, innocent lives whom he did not know? What caused his car to crash into a ditch near the school?

There is only one certainty here is that he wanted to kill as many children as possible upon entering one classroom. His actions proved this to be true. Plus he wore body armor and was seen on the school’s camera with one visible weapon as he approached the school.

Prior to committing this heinous crime, Ramas shot and wounded his grandmother in the face, he fled the scene and had an accident in a ditch near the school. There has been no word on her whereabouts and recovery.

Where is this boy’s family? Why are they so silent? Did they see signs of menace and ignored them? No one wakes up one morning and decided to do a mass shooting. Signs are usually there but often ignored.

Similarly, on May 14, another 18-year-old gunman, Payton S. Gendron, drove hundreds of miles to kill Black people shopping at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. He killed 10 innocent unfamiliar people and is in custody being charged with first-degree murder.

Ramos laid out his plans to commit this mass shooting on social media and no one tried to stop him. Where are we as decent human beings? The gunman posted three posts on social media, “I’m going to shoot my grandmother,” a second post, “I shot my grandmother” and a third post “I am going to shoot an elementary school.” How did this go unnoticed on social media where someone is always watching?

Also, according to the local hospital, many students and adults arrived wounded and were treated, some in critical condition and others in good condition. Two officers were wounded during this mass shooting and another man was wounded and released from the hospital. There are seventeen people who have been injured and the injuries are not life-threatening.

This mass shooting is a repeat and a reminder that gun control and background checks are needed and required for the purchase of guns. Not doing this will cause mass shootings to repeat and repeat until they reach the backyard of a political figure or the likes, then change will come.

There have been at least 77 incidents of gunfire on school grounds across the country, resulting in 14 deaths and 45 injuries, so far this year. Six of these incidents took place in Texas.

Everybody now is talking about mental health as being a possible issue and cause of mass shootings. Really? Hiding behind mental illness will not solve the gun easy access problem. Mental illness may have played a part but hell since the pandemic everyone has had some mental health crisis but didn’t buy a gun and killed someone.

In conclusion, it is time to call a spade a spade! Until America deals with the actual problem and cause of the mass shootings, they are going to be repeated over and over. Also, in the midst of such a travesty loss of lives, some politicians are preparing to speak at an NRA gathering in support of guns and obtaining funding and support from the NRA, the biggest contributor to the conservative GOP party. This is the time for everyone to reflect on the gun problems and solutions. For additional reads: