A month ago my granddaughters’ high school was evacuated because of a bomb threat.

A few weeks ago the elementary school where my son is a 4th grade teacher was evacuated because of a bomb threat.

Both of these incidents ended well when police were called, and found nothing. The children returned to their classrooms.

But why did this have to happen in the first place?

How does a first grader feel when he or she is rushed out of the classroom because of a bomb threat?

What do we tell the kids when they ask why it happened?

And what do we tell them when they see that last Thursday, at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, 9 students died and others were seriously injured because a young man entered a classroom and killed or wounded them for no apparent reason as they were at work trying to make something of themselves?

Read this article written from a teacher’s perspective in 2014.

How do we tell our children that we can’t seem to stop this violence? How do we tell them that there are bad people out there and some people who aren’t necessarily bad, want to own guns and don’t believe that guns kill people?

Incidents similar to these happen on a daily basis. And it’s not just in schools. There are people killed in this country every day by someone using a gun. In movie theaters.  In shopping malls.  On the streets.

According to gunviolencearchive.org, on October 4th, there have been 10,018 people killed in this country with the use of a gun so far this year. There have been 265 mass killings and 20,397 injuries due to guns just this year.

Why don’t we notice? Should the major news channels post the number of people killed by guns every day on their evening news? Would it make a difference? What will get the attention of those that believe everyone should be packing heat these days? 

Sandy Hook happened and we all vowed to help change things. Nothing has changed despite our desire and need to live in peace.

I’m ashamed of my country … of those who line the pockets of those who make the laws. Do they feel more virile when they hold a gun in their hands? Are law makers afraid they won’t be re-elected and take the money because they like it and could use it to for a luxury item they have always wanted? It’s all about power. Guns are power. Money is power.

Some blame mental illness for gun violence. But aren’t we all insane if we don’t try to stop this violence? Isn’t this a moral issue?

If you are as horror struck as I am, please write letters to your lawmakers, sign petitions, and do everything you can to pass laws that will help us bring the horrifying numbers quoted above. We cannot let this new normal continue. We have to at least try to bring legislation for stricter background checks for those purchasing guns and find ways to make all of us feel safer.