I was on duty at the Washington State Alert and Warning Center (A&WC) when news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Half-way through my dayshift routine, the full magnitude of this atrocity was realized. I think the most iconic image to emerge is of this young lady, waiting to hear if her sister, a teacher at the school was among the 26 killed that day, 20 of them first graders...
Civilians weren't the only ones affected. Seasoned first responders have said this was the worst crime scene they've ever encountered.
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Our entire nation is in a state of mourning and the killer's family is at a loss to explain why Adam Lazan went on his killing spree, before he off'd himself. (The most common comment has been: Why didn't he kill himself first?).
I'm deeply moved by news reporters and politicians, some of them I don't particularly care for, fighting to hold back their emotions while they speak before their audiences.
This horrific event not only saddens and angers me, but also worries me. First of all, the shooting illustrated how easy it was for a lone gunman to attack a school.
Second, the Democrats didn't waste anytime banging their tamtookas for a ban on assault weapons. And despite Obama's touching words of condolences, especially at today's prayer vigil. However, his comments about "ending such tragedies", gives me a great cause for concern.
One of my coworkers said this should make a great case for the move to arm teachers, especially after hearing the acts of heroism among the Sandy Hook staff.
But I'm afraid, we're now in the midst of a perfect storm for potential ban on "assault" weapons.
Or at least expand "gun free zones." The problem with this is: It doesn't work.
Until the congressional foodfight starts, let us remember those who have lost their lives and the grieving loved ones they left behind.
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