On the third day, it got unapologetically political

 It happened again.

Yesterday, a 14-year-old boy with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire inside Apalachee High School in Winder, GA, north of Atlanta. He killed two students, Mason Schererhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. 

Mason Schererhorn's parents will never get this text from their son:

The Washington Post reports that more than 382,000 students have been impacted by gun violence at school since Columbine. 

25 years

416 shootings

382,000 kids

The youngest of those kids -- the Sandy Hook survivors -- saw the deadliest of school shootings in 2012. The shooter was in their first grade classroom. This year they graduated high school.

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Twenty children from Sandy Hook didn't live to finish high school. Neither did Mason Schererhorn and Christian Angulo. Nor any of the children who lost their lives due to gun violence between 1999 and today. They will never do what my son and his classmates did yesterday and stroll a college club fair during the second week of classes, signing up for activities and organizations that will help them create fun memories and meaningful experiences, like visiting elementary schools to teach and tutor kids. 

Elementary schools that could be the site of a future shooting. Just like his college campus could be. Just like my daughter's college campus could be. Just like an elementary school five miles from my daughter's campus was less than 18 months ago.

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. F*<%?

I have a lot of thoughts and very few coherent words. What on earth can I write that hasn't already been said or written? How can any of us justify not working for -- not screaming and shouting and busting our asses and donating and voting for -- evidence-based solutions to gun violence that will save lives?

• Background checks on on all firearms sales and mandatory waiting periods -- Those tin cans you claim to have fun shooting in your backyard will still be there in 48-72 hours
• Laws that ban guns from schools, campuses, and other sensitive areas; permits and strong standards for carrying concealed weapons in public; mandatory owner education and secure storage -- I'm a First Amendment absolutist, and even I believe in content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions. Get on board, Second Amendment disciples
• Gun dealer reform, no immunity for gun manufacturers, broad gun trace data requirements and accessibility, silencer regulation, and prohibitions on automatic weapons/bump stocks/rapid-fire devices/high capacity magazines/downloadable guns -- Big tobacco. Purdue Pharma. Asbestos. Silicone implants. GM's exploding gas tanks. Manufacturers, distributors, and dealers with irresponsible, negligent, and most of all reckless practices should be held accountable

Some people call this common-sense gun control. I'm not convinced Americans have much in common in the way we sense these tragedies.

Some people say that guns don't kill people -- people kill people. Yes. But the person holding the gun and pulling the trigger is the LAST in a long line of those who bear responsiblity. I cannot claim to understand what could possibly motivate the shooter. I fully understand what motivates the rest. Greed. Power. Belief in their own superiority. An uncanny ability to value their own comfort, pride, and satisfaction over the lives and safety of others.

That's pretty much all I have this morning. Grief. Tears. Anger. And, for now, my children.

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