Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee was recently quoted as saying that he is not surprised by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings because we have "systematically removed God" from public schools.
Earth to Governor Huckabee -- The shootings in Newtown Connecticut didn't happen because we don't allow God in schools. God lives in hearts, not in schools.
Does Governor Huckabee think God got pissed off about being banned from schools and decided to teach Americans a lesson by allowing a person to assassinate a bunch of children -- children who take the term "loss of innocent lives" to a whole new level? What kind of God does Governor Huckabee worship? The God I love doesn't purposely use violence in spiteful retaliation of his/her perceived shunning. The God I love is spending the day with the rest of America mourning the loss of lives, not having a "that will teach you!" moment.
God had nothing to do with the Sandy Hook massacre. The murders were a direct result of the lack of gun control laws in this country. Yes, people driven by violent outbursts are not going to go away once gun control legislation is enacted. However, the carnage will be reduced. Guns facilitate psychotic episodes to become extreme and more fatal. If you look at any of the mass shootings that have previously occurred, without a doubt, there would have been less loss of lives and overall damage if the attacker were wielding a knife instead of an assault weapon.
The statistics are clear that our liberal gun laws drive a national murder rate that is exponentially greater than any other country in the world. Cars and even children's toys are more regulated than guns. That is so wrong. If we put these people through a process half as comprehensive as we put people through to get a driver's license, we would see less gun-related murders.
Now is not the time to start a discussion around God in schools. And now is not the time to start a discussion about gun control. Now is the time to immediately pass gun control legislation. We owe it to the 20 little kids and six heroic adults who lost their lives in Newtown. We owe it to the close to a hundred Americans who are killed every single day by people with guns. Once we stop the bleeding, we can go on to discuss the bigger issue of how to better manage mental illness.
If the God Squad really wants to reduce gun-related violence versus pimp a self-serving agenda, they should advocate for gun control laws. Unified, we as a country have an opportunity to make something positive happen in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedies. While nobody wants to have children or anyone die for a reason -- let's give their deaths more meaning. Let's let the Sandy Hook school shootings be the catalyst for good. Let's take positive action to ensure we minimize the likelihood that this will happen again. Let's do it to honor all those who have lost their lives because someone with a gun murdered them.
And in doing so, we will be doing God's work in a much more positive and meaningful way.