From the Rector: Having to think--again--about the "unthinkable."

On Friday, December 14, 20 first graders and six of their teachers and principal were murdered, shot to death as they prepared to make gingerbread houses and enjoy special music.  As the news spread, our nation was understandably shaken.  Many of us no doubt imagined ourselves in the place of family members of the children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary, waiting in the local firehouse for word about their loved ones' fate.  And we can imagine the horror in realizing that none of those missing children or adults were coming home ever again.  Perhaps we have found ourselves thinking of the adults who died, and as we heard the stories of their courage and self-sacrifice, wondering if, in such terrifying circumstances, we would have been able to do the same, and hoping that we would. 

It is natural to wonder, "Where is God in this?"  The only answer I can find is in the courage and self-sacrifice of the people trying to save those children, and in the enormous outpouring of love and generosity.  God is in the people who ran towards the gunfire instead of away, in the people who weep for those who have died, and in the community that is standing together and supporting one another.  I believe that God will be with those parents and family members as they grieve, and that God will tenderly hold them with the love of a parent who knows what it is to lose a beloved child to violent death.

Our leaders spoke eloquently about holding our children a bit closer, remembering to say "I love you."  Our President read the names of the children and adults who died, and he had to wipe away tears as he doubtless thought of his own daughters, and he said that we must do something, saying that this kind of violence is absolutely unacceptable and that something must change.  I agree.  But I want us to do more than hold our children close and tell them that we love them.  I want us to do something to help keep all of us safe from the gun violence that is claiming all too many lives, and from incidents that we describe as unthinkable, but that are occurring with startling regularity.

Think for a moment about these stark facts: There were 13 multiple person shootings in 2012, more than one each month.    That includes the July shooting at a movie theater and Aurora Colorado, in which 12 people died and 70 were injured, the August shootings at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin by a white supremacist, and last week's shooting at an Oregon shopping mall.  Every year in our country, there are nearly 12,000 victims of single person homicide, and the vast majority of those are killed by firearms.  In Oakland, California, nearly 20 children died this year from single person shootings outside or near their schools.  According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, between 2006 and 2010, 47,856 people were murdered by firearms.  (That doesn't count suicides or accidental shootings.)

Yet, despite all the above, the American love of firearms of ever-increasing power seems to be growing.  In 2011, Americans legally purchased 10.8 million firearms.  That's a 14% increase over 2010.  The most popular rifle in the U.S. is the AR-15, a semi-automatic assault weapon which can fire up to 30 rounds rapidly and without the need to reload.  It is the civilian version of a rifle designed for military use, the M-16, a weapon designed not for target shooting or for hunting, but for killing as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.  It is available in the U.S. in several colors, including camouflage and pink.  It can be personalized with such add-ons as chrome-plating, a laser, and a grenade launcher.  It was the weapon of choice for the shooter in Newtown, Connecticut.  (He also had in his possession a 10 mm Glock and a 9 mm Sig Hauer.)  The AR-15 is also the rifle used in the mass shooting in Colorado.  (The shooter at Virginia Tech chose semi-automatic handguns; he used a Glock and a Walther, the gun made famous as the one James Bond carried.)

This is madness.  Let me be clear here.  I'm not anti-gun or anti-hunting.  What I think is madness is our societal addiction to firearms, as well as the wide-spread belief that a society awash in guns is a safer society.  I grew up in a place where a lot of people owned guns, and many people hunted.  My family owned guns, and I've been hunting and shooting.  But I cannot see any need whatsoever for a gun designed for military use, the purpose of which is to kill human beings.  I simply do not accept the argument that a semi-automatic assault weapon is intended for target practice or for hunting.

Today, I heard two prominent people argue that the best thing we can do to keep schools safe is to arm school personnel.  After the shootings in Aurora, the Colorado legislature passed a concealed weapons law.  The idea of grammar schools with teachers packing heat or movie theaters crowded with armed patrons is terrifying to me.  Why can't our nation have what every other Western nation has: sensible gun control laws?  Despite what a majority of our Supreme Court justices now seem to believe, the Second Amendment really does not enshrine some sort of absolute right to own any kind of firearm known to humanity.  The assault weapon ban that our Congress passed in 1994 would have banned the kind of guns used in Connecticut, Colorado, and at Virginia Tech.  That law expired in 2004 and was not renewed by a Congress frightened of the gun lobby.  Even in our Commonwealth, with among the most restrictive gun laws in the country, it is much easier to purchase a gun that it is to get a driver's license, and it is exponentially easier to revoke a driving license than a gun license. 

I know that some folks believe issues like this should not be discussed by the clergy.  But I believe that this is just the kind of issue people of faith should be thinking and praying about, and doing something about.  This is about the kind of world we want for ourselves and our children.  It is about being able to go to the movies, to school, to a mall, to meet our congressperson without having to give a thought to whether we or our loved ones are coming safely home.

It is unutterably sad that thousands of people in our beautiful country are so frightened of one another and so alienated from community that they feel the need to arm themselves with military weapons.  I believe that our faith and our church offers an alternative way to view the world, and a model of how to be in community.  And I believe that as people of faith, we can advocate for a different kind of world.  

Rector's Note: Each week, I write about a man or woman from history who is honored as a saint.  After last week's shootings in Newtown, one of the priests in that community referred to the children who died as "new little saints watching over us."  While they may not be saints i the way we have come to think of the word, each person who died was precious to their friends and families, and to God, and they deserve to be remembered by name, and for who they were.  So, this week, let's use this space to remember them by name.  The information about each person was gleaned from CNN, NPR, and The Washington Post's website.

Charlotte Bacon, age 6, loved dressing up in fancy dresses.

Daniel Barden, age 7, was described by family members as "fearless." 

Rachel D'Avino, age 29, was a behavioral therapist who dedicated her life to working with autistic children.  She didn't know it, but her best friend was planning to propose to her on Christmas Eve. 

Olivia Engel, age 6, loved her stuffed animals.  Her favorite was a lamb.  She liked to pray, and let her family in grace every night at dinner.

Josephine Gay, 7, was nicknamed "Boo" because she looked like the little girl from the movie "Monsters, Inc." 

Dylan Hockley, age 6, had a michievous grin and loved to jump on his trampoline. 

Dawn Hochsprung, age 47, was the school principal who died trying to lunge at the shooter to protect her kids.  She would do anything to encourage learning, just last week dressing up as a reading fairy and sprinkling the children with "reading fairy dust."  She loved to sail.

Madeleine Hsu was 6.  She had just started piano lessons.

Catherine Hubbard, 6, had bright red hair and freckles.

Chase Kowalski, 7, wanted to compete someday in a triathalon.  He loved to be outside.

Jesse Lewis, age 6, rode horses and was looking forward to making gingerbread houses at school on the day of the shootings. 

Ana Marquez-Greene, was the daughter of a jazz musician and was learning to sing.

James Mattioli, 6, was a "numbers guy."  He loved math.

Grace McDonald, age 7, was described by her family as a "girlie girl" who loved playing dress up, but who also loved gymnastics and soccer. 

Anne Marie Murphy age 52 was a teacher.  Her body was found in such a way that police think she died trying to shield her students with her body.

Emilie Parker, 6, carried markers and pencils wherever she went in case she wanted to draw a picture.  She was learning Portuguese.

Jack Pinto, 6, loved the New York Giants, and couldn't wait for Little League.

Noah Pozner, 6, was described as rambunctious and full of spirit.

Caroline Previdi, age 6, loved to draw and dance.

Jessica Rekos, 6, loved horses.  Her family had promised that she could have a horse when she turned 10.  She asked Santa this year for cowgirl boots and a hat.

Lauren Rousseau, 30, was described by her mom as having wanted to be a teacher "from before she even went to kindergarten."

Mary Sherlach, age 56, was the school psychologist.  She died as she ran into the hall at the sound of gunshots, trying to help.  She would have retired next year.

Victoria Soto, 27, was a first grade teacher.  She hid her children in a closet and tried to divert the shooter by telling him the children were in the auditorium.  She had a dog she loved, a brown lab named Roxie.

Benjamin Wheeler, 6, was enrolled in Sunday School at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Allison Wyatt, age 6.

Nancy Lanza, age 52, died before the others, killed by her own son.  She has been described as a devoted mother who tried to help her son; some sources say she was thinking of relocating with him to Washington, where she had found a school she hoped would be able to help him.  She was a gun enthusiast, and she legally owned the guns used to kill her and the other people.  Some sources have reported that she was a "prepper," part of a movement of people preparing themselves to survive an Armageddon.