Lives Cut Short

I have been struggling for a title for today's Blog.

It is the opening night for a long awaited movie. You are in the front row of the movie theatre. The emergency exit door opens and a suited figure comes in. He starts firing - something. You think its part of an opening extravaganza. As the bullet hits you, you realise its not an act but the real thing as your life ebbs out of you.

12 ordinary men and women died in a senseless act of calculated violence and 71 were shot:

• Alexander C. Teves pictured here in an undated photo released by his family through AP, aged 24
• Jonathan Blunk, 26,  Navy SEAL goal, certified firefighter and emergency medical technician
• Alexander J. Boik, an 18-year-old known as AJ
• Jesse Childress, 29, Air Force cyber-systems operator
• Gordon Cowden, 51, businessman
• Jessica Ghawi: Recently survived Toronto mall shooting, 24
• John Larimer, 27 Navy sailor
• Matt McQuinn, 27,
• Micayla Medek , Student
• Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6
• Alex Sullivan, 27
• Rebecca Wingo, 32

Rest in Peace.

One reaction to the shooting in Colarado has been a 43% growth in the number of people wanting to buy a gun in the state. It appears, that in the USA, one way that people seem to feel safer is by getting more guns out in the community.  In Australia, people felt safer by removing guns. After Australia's worst ever massacre at Port Arthur, Australians handed their guns back. "The 1996 "Buy Back",  coincided with an end to mass shootings and dramatic decreases in shooting deaths in Australia.
People keep saying guns don't kill but people do. I am not judging one country but last year, 100,000 people in the USA were wounded by guns  and 31,500 died because of a gun. By comparison, 42,636 people killed on US Roads. The probability of being shot is 40 times greater in the USA than in Canada, England or Germany. A fact we saw this week.
My dream is that my nephews and nieces will grow up in a safer world. For me,  a safer world is a world without weapons - anywhere. Why in the 21st Century, are we still killing each other in this way.