SHOTS, by William T. Buida

The shots rang out
And people ran to hide
The shots rang out
And people ducked and prayed
The shots rang out
And people fell and died

The news reported
On the terrible event
A man with guns
Killed sixty people in the crowd
More on the evening news at six
About this tragic event

And the people cried
Our prayers are with you in this hour
And the people cried
What can prevent such tragedy
What can we do
What is within our power

A voice was heard to ask
Why are guns so easy to get
A voice was heard to ask
Why so many automatic weapons
And other voices responded with
We should not discuss this yet

The NRA said
All guns are our right
So we can shoot
The thief at our front door
So we cabn shoot
Someone in a fight

And Congress met
With endless speeches and debates
Afraid to act
Afraid to offend the NRA
And so decided to leave
People's lives up to the fates

The tragic event passed
And nothing was done
The people in power
Did not change a law or rule
Did not take any action
Did not initiate any action
Did not limit any type of gun

And so life continued until

The shots rang out
And people ran to hide
The shots rang out
And people ducked and prayed
The shots rang out
And people fell and died
And the cycle began again

Wondering If

Fiorella is wondering if the National Rifle Association, once a well-respected organization that taught marksmanship and emphasized gun safety, has been victimized by the same people who have victimized the Parkland students--gun manufacturers willing to do anything to increase their profits. Have to add Putin into the mix too Those rubles have been making the rounds.

Fiorella's March

Fiorella is exhausted. Trying to make the world a better place is taxing, especially with the administration we now have and what happened in Parkland. Fio wasn't surprised that Trump, whose brain is made of swiss cheese, did and said stupid things, but learning how utterly vile the current NRA is has knocked her for a loop. She would have understood if the organization's president had said how shocked they all were that one of their members had done such a heinous thing and that NRA would double down on responsiblity training from now on, but to malign the survivers? The students whose friends and classmates were alive one moment and dead the next?

And that is why Fiorella is trying to get a march going in Georgetown, the most conservative little town in central Texas.

Eulogy for Us All

Fiorella was numb at first, in shock, sick at the heart, but now she's angry. She's angry at the weapon makers for overproduction. She's angry at the NRA for its power grab. She's angry at legislators who have been paid off. She's angry at broadcasters who feed their audiences with conspiracy theories. She's angry at TV shows and movies that glamorize combat. And she's angry at herself that she can't somehow stop the madness.

Why do people kill each other? Why are they even mean to each other? Why do they make up stories about each other? Can't we all live in harmony and mind our own business? Can't we all help each other, value each other, enjoy each other?

Fiorella's goal for her earthly existance is to make the world a better place. That's why she writes novels about women who overcome extreme difficulties. That's why she expresses herself about the state of the nation on Facebook. That's why she tries to be a good friend and the best mother in the world. That's why she smiles all the time. Sure, she doesn't always have something to smile about, but there's always tomorrow.

But for the people who were killed in Las Vegas, there is no tomorrow. Fiorella is angry.

Second Amendment Right to Get Killed

All of America should be appalled by the situation in which a nine-year-old girl accidentally shot a firearms instructor in the head with an Uzi, which, Fio has been told, is an entirely inappropriate weapon for a nine-year-old.  Arms enthusiasts are--uh--up in arms defending the instructor, of course, but Fiorella is more concerned about the child.

How does a fourth-grader cope with having killed someone?  How will she be treated by other children?  Her family will have to move, perhaps assume another name, and she will need extensive therapy.

Fio hopes her parents will sue the gun range and the NRA and even the estate of the stupid man who, in effect, committed suicide by putting the gun in her nine-year-old  hand.