I have reflected upon the senseless school tragedy at Uvalde, and before that Parkland, Fl. in 2018, and before that, Sandy Hook, Connecticut in 2012. Interspersed between these events are thousands of other school and community shootings that have claimed the health and the lives of countless innocent people. Chattanooga has had multiple shootings this year alone, which have undermined our sense of safety and community. As a neurosurgeon, I have witnessed these tragedies first hand and my experiences in treating them have helped to shape my opinion.
I feel compelled to make my thoughts publicly known. To this point, my children have not been involved in an active shooter situation and I pray that they never will be. I hope that by speaking up, they and other innocent people will be better protected. I extend my condolences and prayers to all of the families throughout the world that have been affected by gun violence.
In the most recent Uvalde shooting, police officers were delayed in their confrontation of the shooter. Perhaps they were waiting for more backup, or perhaps they were just plain scared. Even in the face of children actively calling 911 for help, the police did not intervene in a timely manner. In my mind this begs the question, “If the police, who are trained in gun combat, are scared to engage individuals with assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips, don’t you think that those things might be bad for society?”
I do cherish my constitutional liberties and the freedoms that we have in our great country. I respect and value the Second Amendment and our right to keep and bear arms. I come from a family of hunters and I own a firearm. But, I give equal respect to our unalienable constitutional rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. When children are innocently gunned down in their own school, year-in and year-out, then we need to work to improve upon that situation.
I understand that gun fatalities will never be completely eliminated. However, if we take a logical and evidence based approach to identify the problem and implement measures to lessen the problem, then we will at least accomplish a reduction in the senseless deaths.
In a similar situation, the problems of automobile fatalities are constantly studied by the NTSB. Although car accidents will never be eliminated, measures have been put in place to lessen them. These measures include grading roads, roadway lighting, informative signage, seatbelt laws, speed limits, and restrictions on the age to drive. Our citizens are still free to enjoy the open road. They just can’t do crazy things like drive 100 mph through a school zone. I hope that our nation can formulate a similar set of guidelines to lessen our gun tragedies.
I am going to send a copy of this letter to my elected Congressman, US Senators, and the President. I encourage everyone reading this to contact their elected representatives and do the same. If everyone who is truly concerned about gun violence will speak up, then a better reflection of public opinion will be available for our representatives. I am concerned that the voices of powerful lobbies and special interest groups are drowning out the common citizen.
These shootings, and the subsequent political grandstanding with no productive response, have reminded me of one of the most famous speeches of William Shakespeare. I pray that this time we actually accomplish something that will better protect our children:
‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’, Spoken by Macbeth:
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Daniel Kueter