My husband was out in the garden tending to his beloved tomatoes when a car drove by. The passenger of the car shot my husband twice, once in the shoulder and once in the spine. My husband’s spine acted as a shield to his internal organs, saving his life, but he is now paralyzed from the belly button down. I was seven months pregnant at the time.
People often make excuses about this gun violence as if it matters. They say, “The shooter must have been provoked.” Nope, there was no interaction between the shooter and my husband. They respond, “Well, it must be gang affiliated.” Nope, there is none. They then go on to say “the gun must have been stolen.” Again, no. The gun belonged to the driver.
There are no excuses for gun violence. Guns are the problem.