The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Ramona's picture

    Guest Post: A New High School Graduate Takes on the Gun Issue

    By Ramona on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 12:36pm | Politics, Social Justice

    In the 4 1/2 years I've been writing this blog I've never felt inclined to bring in a guest poster.  Today I do, and I couldn't be happier that Briana Morganroth has agreed to let me reprint the essay she wrote about her thoughts on gun control.  

    She is the granddaughter of my friend, Ramona Moormann, the publisher of The Marcellus (MI) News (where my own pieces sometimes appear), and I first read this essay in her newspaper a couple of weeks ago.

    But here--I'll let Ramona tell you about her granddaughter:

    Briana is a 2013 graduate of Stevens Point High School (Wisconsin). She will attend University of Wisconsin/Madison this fall. All during her teen years she was active in the YMCA’s Youth In Government Program. She took part in their  Legislative Conferences in the state capital in Madison annually.
        I read on the group’s website that their mission is to ” help create the next generation of thoughtful, committed and active citizens by teaching them the principles of a democratic society. They also intend to create leaders through their roles in the models of local, state and national government. The premise is that leaders are developed by doing.”
        No doubt, the program has been an influence on Briana. She is very vocal about her political beliefs and ‘doesn’t suffer fools gladly’.
     Our young people need to know that their opinions count, that their bravery is recognized and supported, and that their voices will be heard.  Young thinkers like Briana are our hope for the future.  Her writing is forceful, articulate and impassioned, and I'm proud to offer it here.
     
     
    Gun Control: It’s Time 
    by Briana Morganroth
     
    It’s time.
     
    It’s time for the hysterical and overdramatic claims that the government is coming for your guns to end.
     
    It’s time to stop worrying about your precious hunting rifles – guns which the government has no plan of banning. It’s time to realize that this isn’t an attempt at taking away the second amendment, but simply a reevaluation of that right which was given by the men who birthed this nation in a time where they couldn’t have imagined our new-age weaponry – weaponry which makes their muskets look like a toy.
     
    It’s time to stop making excuses that “It’s not about the guns” and come to our senses as a nation.
     
    It’s time to open our eyes to someone other than ourselves and places other than our own “safe” community, and think about those who have been permanently shaken and broken by the reckless gun violence that is consuming our country.
     
    It’s time to stop the much-too-early funerals for an ever-growing number of beautiful and innocent children.
     

    It’s time to come to the realistic conclusion that semiautomatic military-grade assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and armor-piercing bullets are in no possible way needed by anyone outside of military or police personnel.


     
    It’s time to think logically about the harm that could be easily prevented by simple, required background checks on weapon purchases.
     
    It’s time to stand up to the NRA, and their out of touch CEO, no matter how hard it may seem. It’s time for Congress to grow a spine for the first time and take charge on this pressing and critical issue.
     
    It’s time to think about what is really important here – the right to own these ridiculous and murderous weapons, or the right to live without fear. 
     
    It’s time to clear our minds, come to terms with the horrible current events, and move forward quickly and effectively to prevent further tragedies.
     
    It’s time for every assault-weapon and high-capacity magazine owner to stop clinging to their weapons that were solely made to kill.
     
    It’s time for them to open their eyes to the fact that their right to own those horrific tools is trumped a million to one by simple American rights: by the right of a moviegoer in Aurora, Colorado to enjoy a movie without watching her boyfriend die right before her eyes as he covers her from the rain of bullets, because of his heart wrenching, undying love; by the right of former Senator Gabby Gifford to live without being permanently disabled by the two point-blank gun shots she received to the head; by the firefighters in Webster, New York to be living heroes remembered for their dangerous-but-heroic job that Christmas Eve, not fallen servicemen who’s tragic end came about from reckless gunfire; and by the rights of those kids at Sandy Hook Elementary to never have to run through the blood of fellow classmate, to never have to hide behind a selfless teacher who moments later is strewn with bullets, and to never suffer such immense pain and loss at such a young age.
     
    It’s time for children to never have their safe haven called school turned into something of the opposite nature: a terrible, nightmare-inducing place.
     
    It’s time to realize that those moviegoers, those police officers, and those kindergartners are gone forever, and their friends, families, communities, and the whole nation are forever scarred.
     
    It’s time for madness and violence to end.
     
    It’s time.
     
     
    ###
     
    Congratulations, Class of 2013.  No pressure, but we're counting on you.

     

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Social Justice

    Comments

    It's time that those who oppose the this right are appropriately grouped with those who are equally repugnant to a free society, i.e. those that would quench free speech, racists, homophobes, et all. We're going to continue to stand up for our rights. We cannot tolerate this sort of ignorance.


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 1:13pm

    Left out the most overdue: It's time to stop voting for Republicans.


    by NCD on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 3:15pm

    Lol, NCD.  I think that's implied.


    by Ramona on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 6:28pm

    It's time to say it, not merely imply it.


    by NCD on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 10:34pm

    Three miles from where our President appeared this afternoon, some nut jumped out of his car in the vicinity of Santa Monica College with some machine gun and fired ten shots or more in some 360 degree motion wounding at least 3 people.

    The reports are conflicted. 3 people dead, 8 people dead...

    Students were studying for finals for chrissakes!

    If you are on your ranch in Oklahoma, go ahead and shoot your critters. 

    But damn, to permit guns at schools is nuts.

    I am counting on our new grads also.

    I see hope in our future.

    This gun thing has gone too far and I do not think any generation can do a damn thing about this mess.

     


    by Richard Day on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 4:55pm

    I hope you're wrong about not being able to do anything about it.  It's gotten completely out of control, but I have to believe sanity will prevail. 

    I sure would hate for our young activists to think they had nothing to fight for.  Can't have them giving up yet. sad


    by Ramona on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 10:01pm

    Here in Florida these young activists work tirelessly at GOTV.  They are the secrete weapon against the GOP.  Old white cranky men aren't the door knocking type.


    by trkingmomoe on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 10:26pm

    So happy to hear that, Momoe.  If we can get these kids motivated there'll be no stopping them.  They'll be the ones to make the big changes, and it can't happen soon enough.


    by Ramona on Sat, 06/08/2013 - 2:39pm

    I think these kids are going to clean  up this mess.  They don't buy into the GOP crap.


    by trkingmomoe on Fri, 06/07/2013 - 10:15pm

    It’s time to come back to the realistic conclusion that semiautomatic military-grade assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and armor-piercing bullets ar in no doable approach required by anyone outside of military or police personnel.

    by Kevin Wilson (not verified) on Sun, 06/23/2013 - 2:04pm

    This is an amazing response!

    Wow!!!


    by Richard Day on Tue, 07/23/2013 - 7:06pm

    I LOVE THAT THIS KEEPS COMING UP.

    Over two hundred thousand hits.

    Hell it would take me a decade. hahahah


    by Richard Day on Mon, 02/16/2015 - 3:36pm