Sad, Angry, & Pissed

I held off publishing this post until after the Thanksgiving holiday. I was certainly not thankful for this incident. 

This post is partly a vent and a rant. As the title says, I am sad, angry, and pissed off. 

A few days ago I got a text from my son. He was informing me that one of his friends and softball teammates had been shot and killed. This friend, Jared, was also a friend of mine. I have known him for a few years through the softball team. 

The best way I can describe Jared is that he was a good soul. He was almost always in a good mood despite any problems he was having. He seemed to enjoy life. I never once heard a cross word from him. He was funny and fun to be around. From what I know, he was conscientious and hard-working. Everybody liked Jared. Well everybody but maybe the shooter. 

From the news stories and what I have gathered, Jared was shot by his half brother. The original story to the police by the shooter was that Jared was going into the half brother's house through a window. This house is also Jared's mother's house. The cops were suspicious and a couple of days later filed murder charges. I won't go into the specifics since they really don't matter at this point. The bottom line is that a 30-year-old good man is dead and his 19-year-old half brother is charged with his murder. In addition to the tragic death, that family is now doubly devastated. Unless the shooter confesses, we may never know what actually happened. It has all the makings of a family argument. Jared was shot multiple times, like the kind of shootings that occur during a rage. 

Besides being a good soul, Jared leaves behind a wife and two young boys. From all accounts, he was a very devoted father. He was also a gifted athlete so while his boys may inherit his genes, they will be denied his teaching, coaching, and encouragement in their athletic endeavors not to mention their journey through life. 

The last time several of us saw Jared was on October 16th. The last softball game of the fall season. The Broncos had just won the league championship. It was a fun night. 

Broncos Softball - Jared back row right

My son and I attended the visitation and funeral. Both made me more sad and angry. Hearing from those who knew Jared and seeing the photos and videos of his life reinforced my impressions of him. The funeral was a very nice service with a large crowd. Jared had a big family and many friends. Very nice services and big crowds will not bring Jared back or heal the hole in all our hearts and lives. 

Jared Moore 2016

Now the rant part. While I have no knowledge of whether the gun involved in this tragic incident was legally purchased or the shooter was the owner. That doesn't matter to me. The fact is that a loaded lethal weapon was within easy reach when this situation occurred. That made it deadly instead of maybe a pushing match or a fistfight. That might have resulted in some injuries but probably no deaths. There are way too damn many guns in our society. It is estimated that there are more guns than people in the US. I know several people who have no guns, so some folks have a lot of guns. Why do we need all these guns? About 99.99% of the folks in this country don't need to hunt and shoot for their next meal. Many folks don't live in particularly dangerous areas. The neighborhood where this incident took place is middle-class suburban residential. I know the stock phrases like "guns don't kill, people kill". Well, bullshit. People without guns don't shoot and kill. The fact that a gun is within reach when a family or domestic argument occurs instantly makes that event potentially deadly. 

I have no simple solution but I do know that we need fewer deadly weapons in the public domain. Let's make it harder to buy and own a gun. Let's make it easier to take a gun from those who shouldn't have them. Let's fund more and better mental health services. Let's change focus to saving lives rather than maximizing the profits of gun manufacturers. Let's worry about the gun victims and their families instead of NRA head Wayne LaPierre and politician's war chests. At least, let's pass the gun restriction laws that the majority of Americans support like universal background checks and red flag laws.  

Every time I think of this tragic incident, I get a tear in my eye and very angry. 

RIP Jared. We will all miss you. This didn't need to happen. 

Jared's obituary.

wjh