Job Description

In a recent conversation, I asked my son how things were going. He proceeded to tell me all about his 30 pound machine gun. This weapon can shoot several rounds per second and he was working to "qualify" with it.

I never permitted guns in my home. Simply put, it only took caring for one child in an ICU who had been shot accidentally to know that guns and the curiosity of a child are a lethal combination. So to say that I oppose the views of the NRA is really an understatement. I was one of those moms who didn't allow toy guns, paint ball guns or BB guns around either. I even returned a Civil War Musket that my grandfather gave me to my parent's home while my kids were growing up....even though that musket had not been fired in over 100 years.

After talking for a while, I asked him why anyone would need a gun that weighed 30 pounds. He replied: "My job is to kill people."

The abyss stares back.