"Remembering Newton" by Miranda is a strongly written article on not only the tragedy in Newtown, but the horrifying roles of guns in our society. Reading this article made me realize that I was angry at America for having the worst gun control laws and being so powerless so that incidents like Newtown could happen.
I remember when I first found out about the shooting. Feelings of relief and happiness that one week of school was over were torn from me as I saw the headlines of a shooting in a school. Where was this school? What happened? What if it was close to my house? What if the gunman escaped? What am I going to do? All these thoughts rushed into my mind. Then, I found out that it was in Connecticut, not even a two hour car ride from my house.
I agree with Miranda when she states that the gun violence in America is "America's monster-under-the-bed." Shootings in America, especially in schools where children are left without parental supervision for at least five hours, would not be happening if America focused more on extinguishing this "monster-under-the-bed." It terrifies society and makes parents feel that their children are not safe at school.
As a child, I was terrified of guns. The recent December 14th tragedy unearthed the fear from five, gun-free years of my life. It was at a young age that I found out the horrors a gun (even a small one) could do. I don't remember how old I was, but I certainly remember that my brother was very young. It happened six or seven houses up. I didn't hear the gun shot. I was too distracted and too happy. My bubble of happiness was popped when my dad opened the door to reveal my distressed cousin, crying and screaming something incoherent about his sister. It was the first time I saw my dad so scared. I remembered my dad running outside and locking my brother and I inside, telling us not to open the door no matter what. I remembered the red lights and the wail of sirens outside. She survived, but the shooter wasn't caught.
I was 8 when the Virginia Tech shooting happened. I still remember the newspapers that my 2nd grade teacher showed us, the face of the gunman on the paper, and the horrible things one armed person could do.
At the end of "Remembering Newtown," Miranda gives readers the harsh reality of guns in America. After the many incidents involving guns, America still hasn't done much on the topic. America's guns' futures are still unknown. There is no knowledge if another shooting like Newtown's will happen, so it's best to just hope that it was at least a bucket-full of cold water to the ones who do have power to stop this.