??????

So, yeah, I was going to write about seeing "The Hobbit," and how much I loved it, and that Richard Armitage rocks as Thorin, the cast is great, and Martin freeman made me cry (again).
But after the movie let out I saw the story on a TV in the food court about the shooting in Connecticut, and the bottom dropped out of everything.
Because this was the nightmare come true.  Every time there is a shooting in this country, and there have been a whole hell of a lot of them, someone brings up the Worst Case Scenario: that of a gunman walking into a school and opening fire.  And it's happened.  6 adults and 20 tiny, very young children are dead. And we're all wondering how in the hell ANYONE could look at a classroom full of kindergarteners and open fire.
So now what?  Are we supposed to just accept the fact that we're not safe anywhere?  That there will be a mass shooting like this every couple of months? Do we put our kids on the school bus and simply pray they come home?  Do we dress them in body armor?  Give semi-automatic weapons to 6 year-olds?
What the hell has happened to our common sense?!?!?! Why is it easier for someone with a mental health issue to get a Glock than it is to get their medication? Does this finally, FINALLY mean we can have a REAL discussion on how to prevent this from happening, or do we retreat even further into our corners, continue to call each other names, and cling to our opinions like a lifeboat?
Both sides in this issue need to come together and listen.  Not the "pry my gun out of my cold, dead hands" or "the right to arm bears" BS, not platitudes, but genuine discussions, in which people actually listen to one another.
How many more dead kids will it take before we wise up?!?!?!
I have my own, very strong, opinions on guns.  Just because my opinions are strong doesn't mean they are all correct.
I will say this: If more guns equals more safety, we SHOULD be the safest country in the world.  But we're not.  Far from it.
I think responsible gun owners have a lot to teach us, but their voices are drowned out by the NRA leadership.
I think we can find a happy medium that most of us can agree to.
I know we can't stop every crime, every incident of gun violence, but we sure as hell don't have to make it quite so easy.
We also need to take the stigma away from mental illness and get people the help they need, before they resort to something like what happened yesterday.

In the meantime, I'll be hugging my kids a little more tightly.