Today marks the first anniversary of the horrific murder of the children and adults at Sandy Hook elementary and 26 new souls entered heaven via a highway of our tears. The families have had a year to process the loss of their loved ones, and their pain endures, one year is never enough to swallow the grief. Time, however, will dull the grief.
Please, today and every day say a prayer for the souls lost in Newtown and ask the Patron Saint of Children, Saint Pancras to watch over all of the children of our world and keep them safe, here and in heaven. Each had a name.
Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven
Our children will be asking us, in this year since Sandy Hook, how many children age 12 and younger have been taken from us – the answer 194. Of that 103 were homicides, 84 were accidents, 3 suicides and 4 the circumstances unclear, according to a comprehensive study conducted by Mother Jones. And if you want to know exactly who these 194 individuals are, visit the Portraits of the Hundreds of Children Killed by Guns Since Newton, again from Mother Jones.
One does not have to be pro-gun control, to be pro-save-a-life. Mother Jones in their piece, notes
[custom_blockquote style=”green”]
STRENGTHENING GUN REGULATIONS:
— 41 new laws in 21 states and DC made it harder for people to own guns, carry them in public, and enhanced the government’s ability to track guns.
— Additionally, 15 laws in 15 states made it harder for people with serious mental-health problems to possess guns—a major factor among mass shooters, as our ongoing investigation has shown.
— Together, these laws affect more than 189 million people.
[/custom_blockquote]
Let us ensure our guns are in the hands of responsible individuals, and perhaps we will make the red and gold lines in the graphic disappear.
Additional Reading:
US Government statistic site, specifically where cause of death statistics are provided, US Census data on Cause of Death.