Cacophony of voices

My mind has been reeling with the cacophony of voices surrounding the gun violence issues. For me, there are so many things that must be addressed along with the gun violence.
Violence appears to be addicting!

In 1999 my cousin, Kathy O'Brien was stabbed to death, over 50 times, with a sharpened screw-driver. Her body was then tossed out of a car and left on Cherry Glen Road. The murderer was a drug addict with mental illness. Did his drug addiction cause the progression of his mental illness or did his mental illness cause him to self medicate with drugs? I don't know? But, the fact is...Kathy suffered a horrific VIOLENT death.

My son, Matthew was shot in the back of the head and killed by a drug addict who also claimed to be a southerner (gang affiliated). Addiction is a mental illness! Is gang violence a mental illness? Is violence a mental illness? If violence is an addiction does that make it a mental illness? Would my son still be dead if the shooter was unable to get that gun at a garage sale? Or, maybe if  Matt would have had a gun himself, he could have shot back? Would the children and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary be alive today if the killer didn't have easy access to the guns in his mothers house? Would his mother still be alive if she had a gun on her person and shot her son before he shot her? What if he was treated for his mental illness?

These are questions that can NOT be answered by addressing just one aspect of these multi layered issues. I believe that WE as a UNITED STATES of AMERICA have to come together and address this Addiction to Violence!

I don't have the answers but I believe we have to continue a respectful dialog as a nation who MUST live, breath and work together. We will not survive and our children will continue to die without us addressing every aspect of this disease of Violence.

My two cents

 The main goal of the future is to stop violence. The world is addicted to it.
~ Bill Cosby

Nonviolence is not a thing that comes easily. You have to learn how to be nonviolent.
~ Betty Williams