Im sitting at my computer contemplating the terrible shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School In Newton, Connecticut in the USA.. The killing of so many innocent children and their teachers is unfathomnable. I think about my own kids and my grandchildren – little Audrey and Violet; sweet, energetic kids, full of personality and beautiful loving little girls. I can’t imagine how one would cope with the loss of family members like these, The grief would be unbearable.
I think about America with the highest rate of gun ownership of any country in the world and the compare annual gun related murder figures across some of the world’s major western democracies:
United KIngdom – 14
Austria – 25
Canada – 144
Sweden – 58
Australia – 59
Switzerland – 68
Spain 97
Germany – 269
USA – 9,369
Even when these figures are adjusted for population size, there is something seriously wrong here!
What has shocked me most about this is the suggestion from the National Rifle Association to arm teachers. As a teacher for 40 years and a Vietnam veteran, I see this as absolute lunacy.