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 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.
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| Congratulations, Class of 2013. No pressure, but we're counting on you. |
