No more "moments of silence"; The kids are not alright

I still feel so devastated, powerless, and frustrated watching the news yesterday about the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. I should not have been reading more because it will only cause more anxiety to me in my current state but I refuse to be in the unknown with the current situation of the children of the world. 

It is truly heartbreaking when I opened social media and the first thing I saw what this headline which had been edited from "14 students and 1 teacher" to "19 students and 2 teachers" being victims of this horrible shooting.

Full news article from CNN International: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/24/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting/index.html?utm_source=fbCNNi&utm_content=2022-05-24T21%3A26%3A11&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link

What do we know about this horrible act of violence:

• 19 students and 2 teachers are killed

• The shooter is named Salvador Ramos, 18 years old and a high school dropout

• Ramos bought 2 assault rifles legally when he turned 18.

• Ramos shot his grandmother and is being treated in the hospital, before going to the school.

• Ramos crashed his truck at the school entrance, which was reported by school staff, and ended up in an exchange of gunfire between Ramos and the responding officers.

• After the exchange of gunfire, Ramos barricaded himself inside a classroom and shot the children and teacher there.

• Ramos was ultimately killed by the responding officer.

• Devasted parents and relatives wait for hours in order to identify the victims and go far as to provide DNA samples to expedite the process.

As someone who lives outside the US, I can only say much and I try not to give opinions but the United States has a very lax gun law. You can buy a gun as easily as you are buying candy in the sari-sari store, as long are you are an adult. Let that sink in for a moment.

This shooting has been called the 30th school shooting in 2022. Many local residents of Texas have suggested "to arm" teachers. Meaning "make teachers carry guns in school". That is actually making more problems than solving them.

Again, as an outsider, I feel so frustrated and powerless. Even before having my own child, it always pains me when I hear children being victims in whatever incidents. There is also a good amount of cases involving children here in Japan and I feel horrible as an adult that I cannot do anything. The only thing I can do is cry for them, cry for the parents who will not be able to welcome their children back home.

The 19 children and 2 teachers will not come back home.

However, this emotional but powerful statement by Steve Kerr, NBA Golden State Warriors coach, urged me to write this article and voice out my opinions even though I am not a US citizen.

What stuck to me in his statement was the line "I'm tired of offering condolences, I'm tired of the moments of silence".

And I am, too.

Ramos has been dealt with. Now it's time for the US to focus its attention on the lawmakers and pressure them into pushing this background check rule when buying firearms.

This not only goes to the US but to the Philippines and the whole world.

We need to make these lawmakers do their job properly.

Make them work their asses off.

No more moments of silence.

The kids are not alright.

That's it for now.

Hug your children tighter

See you at the next one.

Disclaimer: Opinions stated in this article are of my own and do not reflect those of ArtPark CryptoArt Community or of the brand, Crimson Owl Studio.

Credits:
CNN International
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/24/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting/index.html?utm_source=fbCNNi&utm_content=2022-05-24T21%3A26%3A11&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link
https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-elementary-school-shooting-05-24-22
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting-wednesday/index.html
TIME via Youtube
Fox7
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/who-is-salvador-romas-what-we-know-about-texas-elementary-school-shooting-suspect
Lead image is created on Canva.

I'm crimsonowl, a random otaku in the blockchain, co-creator of ArtPark CryptoArt Community, an artist-in-progress trying to make a living out of art, an NFT artist-creator, a crypto blogger talking about anime, art, and everything in between.

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