So much has changed since Holland has come into our lives.
We now wake up by 6:00 am on Saturday mornings. Adam and I now have executed wills and hefty life insurance policies. We do 3 loads of cloth diapers a week. And now my heart experiences a whole new type of sorrow when I read sad stories about children on the internet.
That heavy, heavy heart is a big reason why I joined #MomsDemandAction.
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| My recent lobbying efforts at the Arkansas Capitol with the Arkansas Chapter of Moms Demand Action. We got an opportunity to speak with the Speaker of the House as well as the Governor of Arkansas. It was a productive day! |
Did you know (according to The Brady
Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence)?
Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence)?
Every day, 48 children and teens are shot
in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings,
and police intervention.
in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings,
and police intervention.
Every day, 7 children and teens die from
gun violence.
gun violence.
Every year, 2,624 kids die from gun
violence.
violence.
Before Holland, statistics like that were just numbers to
me. They made me sad but they did not impact me. Now, when I see
those numbers, I understand. I understand that each of those numbers is a child
who parents watched take their first steps. Each of those numbers is a tiny
hand grasping its mom’s finger for the first time. Each of those numbers is an
infectious giggle at a funny face or better yet, a loud sneeze that causes so
much laughter that hiccups ensue. Each of those numbers is someone’s child…
a child like my Holland.
me. They made me sad but they did not impact me. Now, when I see
those numbers, I understand. I understand that each of those numbers is a child
who parents watched take their first steps. Each of those numbers is a tiny
hand grasping its mom’s finger for the first time. Each of those numbers is an
infectious giggle at a funny face or better yet, a loud sneeze that causes so
much laughter that hiccups ensue. Each of those numbers is someone’s child…
a child like my Holland.
This post is not necessarily about any specific gun reform
though there are several terrible gun bills making the rounds in my own state
(such as guns in bars… yes, BARS!). To be honest, don’t know the right
answer. I have a feeling it probably includes universal background checks, a
renewed assault rifle ban, and a limit on magazine capacity. I think it
probably also includes better health care in our country — more specifically,
a system that takes mental illness more seriously and affords it more
resources. I have a feeling it probably means a harsh look at previous
domestic abusers who purchase weapons and maybe even a ban on some specific
types of citizens (i.e., domestic abusers) owning guns altogether.
though there are several terrible gun bills making the rounds in my own state
(such as guns in bars… yes, BARS!). To be honest, don’t know the right
answer. I have a feeling it probably includes universal background checks, a
renewed assault rifle ban, and a limit on magazine capacity. I think it
probably also includes better health care in our country — more specifically,
a system that takes mental illness more seriously and affords it more
resources. I have a feeling it probably means a harsh look at previous
domestic abusers who purchase weapons and maybe even a ban on some specific
types of citizens (i.e., domestic abusers) owning guns altogether.
But for me — HOW we get there — is not as important as
getting there.
getting there.
Each day without gun reform in America is a day where 48
more children and teens are shot. A day where 7 more die. Seven more precious
babies… much like my Holland.
more children and teens are shot. A day where 7 more die. Seven more precious
babies… much like my Holland.
I have had the immense privilege and holding
my daughter tight and watching her grow for the past 16 months. I want to
hold and cherish her for the rest of my life and I want every other parent in
our country to get that immense joy as well.
my daughter tight and watching her grow for the past 16 months. I want to
hold and cherish her for the rest of my life and I want every other parent in
our country to get that immense joy as well.
Common sense gun reform in America will not save each and
every child from a terrible fate. But every measure that gets pushed through will save
lives. It will save the life of a baby somewhere out there who a mom just
tucked into bed and said a prayer for their safety. It will save the life of
a toddler out there that a dad just slipped a cookie to when no one was
looking. It will save the life of a teenager who sang out loud in the car with
its mom on the way to school this morning.
every child from a terrible fate. But every measure that gets pushed through will save
lives. It will save the life of a baby somewhere out there who a mom just
tucked into bed and said a prayer for their safety. It will save the life of
a toddler out there that a dad just slipped a cookie to when no one was
looking. It will save the life of a teenager who sang out loud in the car with
its mom on the way to school this morning.
It might even save my child. Or yours.
And each life saved is worth it… period. I haven’t always
understood that but now that I have Holland — I do. I get it.
understood that but now that I have Holland — I do. I get it.
I urge you to look into #MomsDemandAction and to get
involved in the movement. I joined on recently as the Legislative Lead for
Arkansas. But it doesn’t take a lawyer, or even a mom, to get involved and to
speak out. I believe in the 2nd Amendment.I do. I grew up around
guns… Hell, I still own them. But I also believe that no mother or father
should so senselessly lose their child to something that we could have, as a
society, prevented. So let’s step up to the plate and start preventing shall
we?
involved in the movement. I joined on recently as the Legislative Lead for
Arkansas. But it doesn’t take a lawyer, or even a mom, to get involved and to
speak out. I believe in the 2nd Amendment.I do. I grew up around
guns… Hell, I still own them. But I also believe that no mother or father
should so senselessly lose their child to something that we could have, as a
society, prevented. So let’s step up to the plate and start preventing shall
we?
