CONNECTICUT SHOOTING

As we mourn the deaths of 20 innocent children and six adults who were shot and killed at a Connecticut elementary school, the sheer bloody horror of this latest evil act of madness; just as those massacres that appear to be occurring all too frequently in these modern times, is hard to imagine, let alone try to understand.

Understandably, as a first reaction, thought has turned to banning all guns, but that would only make matters worse. It would be a knee-jerk response, but it shouldn’t be beyond the wit of man to come up with a system that fits with the US Constitution and allows sportsmen, hunters and farmers to continue to use sporting or field guns, while preventing people like this recent killer from having access to the sort of sophisticated automatic weaponry that can kill so many people in such a short period of time.

But now is not the right time to consider or enter into serious debate over this. It’s Christmas, a time for children; a time for loving and giving.

For me, today is a day for inward reflection on this unbearable tragedy.

Today is not a day to discuss gun laws, today a day when my tears and thoughts are with the parents, families and friends of those poor innocent, blameless tiny children, whose Christmas presents will already have been lovingly wrapped and carefully placed under the family trees; never to be unwrapped. It's heart breaking to think that all those carefully chosen gifts will never be heralded by excited squeals of joy and thanks, neither will they produce the spontaneous hugs and kisses that our children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces will give us on Christmas morning.

Those poor people, they will never get over it!