living. loving. doing.

Now I just have one question:

Where did the last four years go?

-Four finals separate me from being an official college graduate…..WHAT.

-I love Nashville, and I am really going to miss it. The people, the city, the food….the atmosphere. I’m going to miss it all.

-However, I am so scared/nervous/thrilled/EXCITED about my next adventure in Boston. I’m starting to feel the way I did about London….and we all know how that turned out (read: AMAZING AND EVERY OTHER SYNONYMOUS WORD.)

-God has some great plans in store for me. I can just feel it.

-He’s also got some challenges coming my way, which I am ready to take on; Vanderbilt taught me to fight back in life. ;)

-Time to be intentional with my friendships, especially these last few weeks. Time to say a LOT of goodbyes, I love yous, and tell people how I feel about them.

-God really uses everything. The people I lived with this year have brought so many amazing and new friendships in my life, and I will always cherish that.

-Some days, it’s so easy to be comfortable with my personality. Other days, it’s not. May I always remind myself to choose being myself.

-A lot of “lasts” are happening, and I have been more okay about them than I expected (granted, I haven’t hit graduation yet, so we’ll see about that.) Officially an alumnae of Alpha Chi, I will never attend undergrad Vanderbilt classes again….and it’s okay.

-Prepare for a LOT of emotional rollercoaster-y posts. What a ride it will be.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/opinion/a-senate-in-the-gun-lobbys-grip.html

I was going to put this article up on Facebook, but I hesitated and immediately deleted it. I didn’t want to spark or provoke any kind of political debates, ESPECIALLY through as volatile of a place as Facebook. Particularly, I like that blogs let you truly explain your whole opinion before somebody can react. As you will see, this isn’t me being political. It’s the emotional reactions of a big sister. I’m not saying that my opinion is right or the only way to think. But I needed to say something.

Last night, I received a CNN alert saying that yet another amendment in relation to gun control had been blocked by the Senate. Thinking nothing of it (mainly because of how much work I have to before finals), I closed my app and didn’t think about it. Then, this morning, I stumbled upon this article and read it. Written by Gabby Giffords, it is an interesting article, because as many of you know, she was a victim in the shootings in Tuscon last year. As I read this article, I realized that this amendment was part of the political discourse going on surrounding gun control….but it was something so obvious (in my opinion) and practical that I became shocked that this bill was even debated against.

The Manchin-Toomey Amendment, a widely supported amendment (multiple polls indicate that upwards of 70% of Americans favor this) does NOT ban guns. It does NOT even ban the kinds of guns one can purchase. This amendment would have improved background check systems for gun purchases and would have ensured that anyone listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System be prohibited from buying a gun. This was a big step for Congress itself, because this bill had been crafted and led by both a Democrat and a Republican. However, the bill faced a GOP-led filibuster and needed 60 votes to pass. It came up short by 6. 

I am not a politically volatile person—I respect BOTH sides, and I think both sides provide excellent arguments for how American society should  go. I am a girl who favors civil liberties, but I am not afraid to admit my lack of knowledge on certain issues (ex: the Alaska/Keystone incident….I will never argue on it, because I frankly don’t know a whole lot about it.)

However, I do know a good bit about the history of these mass shootings over the past decade. These shootings were committed by mentally unstable people who had been ignored in our society, but were able to gain access to guns. Yes, some accessed these through friends and family members, but others bought these weapons directly. This amendment would have made this MUCH more difficult for these people to obtain weapons, preventing them from hurting themselves or others.

The amendment failed. The two senators from my state, who had the NERVE to stand in front of a grieving state after the two shootings that affected Alabama in 2010, promising that things like this would not happen again, went to Congress and VOTED AGAINST IT. As an imperfect human, I reserve my right to be emotionally invested in social issues. This issue is mine. I. am. FURIOUS.

Again, I completely understand the arguments for and against gun control. However, this bill promotes background checks. FREAKING. BACKGROUND. CHECKS. Look, even if I purchase a gun one day (and I won’t hesitate to do it if I wind up living in a city by myself) I don’t mind these checks. I have nothing to hide, and the presence of these checks reassure me that they are taking every step possible to avoid placing these weapons in the wrong hands. I understand these freedoms and I think it is crucial to protect them (remember, I’m the civil liberties girl), but when it comes to guns….I honestly believe they require special limits. But again, this is just my opinion.-

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I know and understand that my anger comes from a particularly “unreliable” source—my emotions. The Newtown incident marked the first time in my life where I truly sobbed over a news story. My heart broke for those people, those law enforcement officials, those teachers….and those children. Those sweet, innocent children who knew no evils that this world held. An evil man broke into a safe haven for children everywhere….and brought evil into it. 

And government officials have the nerve to deny background checks. They dare to address a nation—a nation filled with those grieving from the Newtown, Tuscon, Aurora, Columbine, and other horrible tragedies—and do nothing. 

This story affects my personal life, because I have a 7 year old brother. His name is Elijah, and he is the most perfect and wonderful person that I know. I already know that I’m going to be a fiercely overprotective mother, because I would KILL and cause serious injury to anybody who EVER hurt my family. I can’t even imagine the grief and pain that those Newtown families felt; the saving grace to this tragedy was the incredible acts of love and humanity that I saw this nation bring to Connecticut. Just like this week, our nation is strong. Our nation is united. Our nation is unbeatable.

I just don’t understand why this amendment—an amendment that would make sure that gun companies were doing everything they can to ensure that children like Elijah are SAFE—would be blocked. Maybe I’m missing something. But all I know is that, as an individual and as a big sister, I would do absolutely everything and anything that I could to keep my little brothers safe. They are my most precious treasures….and I know that the people of America are our nation’s greatest treasures.

So, let’s please keep Congres in our prayers as this gun control debate continues. May God allow them the proper discernment to ensure that they craft the best plan for the American people—a plan that fulfills our sacred Constitution to the best way possible.

Rant done. Thank you for reading. I already feel better.