A New Normal

Twenty years ago this week,
tragedy struck at
Columbine High School.

In the two decades
that have passed,
our schools have changed.

Metal detectors...
campus lockdowns...
active shooter drills...
these are all part of the
landscape of education.

Five-year-olds
practice hiding 
with their teachers
in corners of their classrooms
across America,
with the doors locked
and the lights turned out.

Is this our new normal?

Is this the only way to protect our children?

What laws have we CHANGED since Columbine?

What laws have we CHANGED since Sandy Hook?

What laws have we CHANGED since Parkland?

On the national level,
practically none.

This February,
the House passed the 
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.

Great name, 
but maybe not really bipartisan.

Only eight republican legislators voted for it.

And the news coverage talks
about them "changing sides" to vote.

Aren't we all on the same side?

It's expected to either fail in the Senate
or be vetoed by the president.

Is this what we want as a nation?

How do we get our 
congressional representatives
to work TOGETHER 
to create a
newer normal?

Fortunately,
STATE legislatures
seem to be finding
more success
finding common ground.

According to the Giffords Law Center,
67 gun safety bills
were enacted in 26 states in 2018. 

A glimmer of hope.

But do we have to move at a snail's pace?

Remember New Zealand?

Here are two important dates...

March 15:
Tragic Shooting at Mosques in Christchurch

April 10:
New Zealand's parliament votes
119-1
to
BAN 
semi-automatic weapons.

Less than a month.

Practically unanimous.

Action can happen.

Faster than we think possible.

New Zealand is trying to prevent a "new normal".

Can we reverse ours?

Only if our representatives realize
we are all on the same side.

Let's continue to use our
productive conversations
​and our
insistent voices
to show our elected officials
the path toward a
new and improved
"normal"
 together.