Heart-breaking news this morning, in DC. We were at the National’s stadium yesterday, next door to Navy Yard. It’s hard to reconcile the joy we felt, sitting in the sun and watching our toddler clap every time the ball flew into the air, with the horror that occurred this morning, yards from our seats.
As a nurse, I’ve worked in psychiatric hospitals. When tragedies like this occur, it’s a multi-faceted problem, it isn’t just the weapon and it isn’t just the shooter. If you have a neighbor or relative who makes you uncomfortable, it’s your responsibility to report it. They won’t just be taken away, but they will be evaluated, and if they are deemed dangerous they will be forced to engage in treatment. If family members were courageous enough to step up and say, “He just doesn’t seem right”, then maybe Aaron Alexis or Adam Lanza, or any of the other notorious names of late, would have been engaging in treatment and properly medicated, and maybe these things wouldn’t have happened. If automatic weapons weren’t available to these men, maybe there would have been more time in loading their weapons in which people could have escaped.
My heart goes out to the families of the victims. There is no more senseless tragedy than the taking of innocent lives. I truly hope that there is more than just talk after what happened this morning, and that steps are taken to prevent further mass shootings.
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