Hello it’s Weekend Meanderings time with Elizabeth and Juliet. Before I can have our regular happy weekend chat, I have talk about this week’s heartbreaking shooting in Texas.
Ending Gun Violence
If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw my rant here that went along with this very truthful quote.
This calls bullshit on the ridiculous narrative Republicans and the NRA give as reasons for gun violence in this nation. It’s never guns, oh no it’s mental health epidemic and poor family values and violent video games. Yes those things are an issue, but every other nation in the world has these too- AND NO MASSACRES, no school shootings, not daily deaths by guns in the hundreds!
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out guns are why we alone as a nation have these horrors and are told we must live with??! Other nations have common sense gun laws and their citizens don’t have to worry about dying in the grocery store or have their child come home in body bag.
America has more than 400 million guns more than any other nation in the world and that is one third of all the guns on the planet. Just think about that for a moment. We are less than 5% of the world’s population.
What we need to stop gun violence
First we need leaders to call for change and people to vote for gun control candidates and that seems to be Democrats. So far I have yet to know a Republican calling for ANY gun reform. Correct me if I am wrong.
Universal background checks across all states in one nationwide database maintained by law and all gun sales and interactions must be reported.
All automatic war weapons must go away for private citizens. Yep that’s the AR-15.
Nationwide red flag laws that prevent dangerous people from buying weapons.
Online gun sales and gun shows need to go.
You must prove you can own a gun responsibly and pass a series of safety tests and checks, and have a damn waiting period and get recommendations by two others ( done in many countries), that you can be trusted to own a gun.
Make ammunition hared to get and trackable. Ammunition is not covered by the second amendment bullshit either.
We need to untether the nation to ‘Second Amendment’ an old antiquated piece of legislation that the gun lobby uses to get more guns into the hands of everyone. We need to re-educate our nation to see how this amendment was used for fear mongering by the NRA.
We must outlaw the marketing of guns to young children, men in particular, just as we did with cigarettes. Read this article in our Mercury News on a new California law being crafted to stop this. Do you know there are actually manufacturers making guns for small children that look like AR-15s? It’s a real company located in Utah and called Wee Tactical and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a more evil thing. We can and must stop this garbage.
How we can help
Help by donating to people who are for gun reform and get in touch with your senators. If that seems too daunting, Everytown for Gun Safety will send letter for you to your senator asking them to take action on Gun violence on this link. You only need to fill out your email and name and address so they know you are a constituent. Get informed and find out where every single candidate on your ballot stands on gun reform, then vote accordingly.
Everytown is the largest grassroots group working to end violence in the United States with over 7– chapters and 8 million people. It’s a network of citizens that include a students, mayors, and a survivors network. They work to help elect candidates that want gun reform, help craft stronger laws, hold elected official accountable, change how America thinks about gun violence, and register voters. I have given many times to this great organization and done marches. Right now Mike Bloomberg is tripling all donations through May 31, so your donation can have a bigger impact. You can donate here and help volunteer and attend events or join a chapter here.
Beto O’Rourke is currently running for the Texas governor against Greg Abbott who is one of the worst offenders in enabling gun violence. I plan on donating to Beto, who is one of the few who has stood up to Abbott to call out the false claims that guns are making us safer. He is a great one to donate to here or to help his campaign you can even text people from your home from another number ( my friend has done this and she says it’s not bad and a way you can give an hour or less a day helping.)
The Brady Campaign has the best list of who is getting NRA money and a button to Tweet them here.
Excellent places to give and help end gun violence:
Giffords Center to Fight Gun Violence
Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence
Now to the rest of my post..
Why not picnic this Memorial Day weekend?
With the sadness of the world this week, it’s nice to get out of the house and be in nature. It’s healing and I can’t recommend a hike, walk, or bike ride, and picnic enough. It’s a break from the usual Memorial Day BBQ too. I recently found this cute picnic hamper at Homegoods and it inspired me to pull a little picnic together. ( I also found these cute burlap flags on wooden sticks 4 for $14 at Pottery Barn here.)
By the way Pottery Barn has some darling table looks now for Memorial and July Fourth here. I particularly love the bunting they have. ( Truthfully I’m not feeling so patriotic this weekend.)
Back to the picnic… Max and I usually run by our local market and grab hummus, crackers, some fruit and a few cheeses. Sometimes the best lunches are just PB&J sandwiches and leftovers in the frig. To be honest, it’s a small effort, but it feels special having it outdoors, in nature and away from phones, etc.
I wrote about this picnic idea last year, which includes a cold pasta salad and baguette sandwiches with pink lady apples and it links to some other blogger’s picnic ideas too.
I have The Picnic book and I love it! So many fun ideas to try and pretty illustrations, good recipes and inventive ways to use the picnic theme in entertaining. This book is a keeper and one of my go-tos for inspiration every summer!
I like to make the picnic pretty with a nice blanket or throw, cloth napkins, real silverware, plates and glasses. I just use older ones so if they break it’s not the end of the world. It’s also a lot greener. I just wrap it all up after in the blanket and wash up at home.
Some of our favorites to include in a picnic..
World Market Sparkling Strawberry Basil French Soda , Rosemary Crackers, or an artisan salami, or this vegan fig salami, Tony’s Chocolonely Dark Sea Salt Bar which is fantastic with clementines or oranges (especially in winter) or apricots. Packing in a few home made cookies or a blondie bar is nice.
I was unable to find my picnic basket online at Homegoods, but you may be able to in store. There is also this picnic basket by Studio McGee here at Target. Just having a basket ready to go is going to motivate you to do it! This could be cute storage when you’re not using it too.
What’s Gaby Cooking’s 55 Recipes for Memorial Day & Summer
Gaby is a California girl and one of my favorite chefs and her cookbook and Instagram is loaded with delicious and easy recipes that always are a hit in my house. Right now she has 55 Recipes for Memorial Day on her site. If you are entertaining at home this list is a great resource and one to keep on hand for all summer long. Each idea is linked to one of her recipes like this lovely Summer Charcuterie Board...
Lunch at Elizabeth’s Villa
The highlight of my week was a lunch at lovely Contessa’s home with a few other pals Heidi and Juliet. I call it a villa because but it really looks like one inside and outside! If you follow her blog, you know she lives a special existence, surrounded by beauty and antiques and sweet pets.
Don’t you love her dress? It’s by Daughter’s of India.
It was a warm day and we didn’t want Elizabeth to cook, so my Make Mine a Spritzer pal Juliet brought sandwiches, Heidi our artist friend brought a wonderful salad with citrus and avocado and Elizabeth made a pretty pavlova. I was not allowed to bring anything… So I think I will host next time! Below a few photos of her lovely yard and the girls.. We had another birthday cake for Heidi as Elizabeth missed her other celebration in the city. I’ll share more tomorrow on my Instagram story!
If you are intrigued, one of my most popular blogs is Elizabeth (aka Contessa) as my subject on Californians at Home, which you can read and see more of her unique home here.
College kid’s room refresh
I’m so excited to have Griffin back from college in Utah and as predicted the house looks like a bomb hit it with all his things, and he’s had bunch of friends here, but I’m kind of loving it.
Right before he came home, his room was looking a bit sad and sparse and I’ve kind of ignored it since he’s been away, so I thought it would be fun to spiff it up and also make a little collage on the wall for him. He’s planning on ordering a new desk too, which I will share later. I found a few pieces of art here and there at Homegoods and used a nature theme as he’s our outdoor hiking, backpacking, camping guy. I also had an original piece of art from my friend Heidi (the blue palm trees), and an older beach print. I added a snake plant in a basket to fill in the blank wall a bit too. It was kind of fun and when he got home he said he loved it. I was relieved..as you never know with this age!
Non-Toxic Garden Pest Sprays
I mentioned on last week’s gardening post that I use a homemade spray for garden pests. A few asked how I do it. You can make these so easily with a empty spray bottle. I do one cup of white vinegar to three cups of water and a small squirt of gentle dish soap like Dawn. Shake well and spray directly on the plant.
The British Homes & Gardens has this same recipe and a few more to try on this post. They say you can add a sprig of Rosemary or lemon peel to counteract the strong vinegar smell if you are using this indoors.
It’s so nice to use organic in the yard and you’ll see a lot more frogs and salamanders and other good guys that eat bugs, but are harmed by regular fertilizers and garden sprays for weeds!
Well that’s my meanderings for this week now please go see what thoughts and ideas my friends Elizabeth and Juliet have for you..
PINECONES AND ACORNS
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
Wishing you all a peaceful weekend and thanks for listening,
Kim
If you missed last week’s blog there were tips on starting a tomato garden, a great desk chair for back support, a hike and lunch spot near Stanford University, an inspiring front house makeover and a great white jean. You can catch that post here.
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Kim, thank you for always speaking out and sharing what’s on your heart. I agree with everything you’ve said and only wish I could articulate it so well.. We’ve contributed to Everytown and plan to support Beto O’Rourke. Too many lives lost unnecessarily. And children. Children. In their classrooms. And teachers. And church goers, shoppers and movie goers. Is anywhere safe? And now they’e marketing to children … it’s abhorrent. Maybe this time, finally, something will be done because we aren’t willing to live another day in a country that values the right to brandish assault weapons over the lives of our kids.And for all the politicians crying mental health … why have they cut mental health funding from their budgets? I’m infuriated. On a happier note, it was so fun to spend time with you and Heidi at Elizabeth’s. How ironic that it was well into the 90’s that day, and the temperatures have dropped dramatically for the holiday weekend. I love your picnic idea and we just may do something along those lines over the next few days. I’m glad your son’s home and he and his friends want to hang out at your house. That’s a big compliment to you and Max. And I hope he likes his new collage wall as much as I do. I’ll be working in the garden some this weekend and I’m going to try this homemade pest spray. I’ll let you know how it works out.. Thanks, Kim, for being a strong voice for common sense action. You inspire me to do more and I appreciate you. xo
Juliet thanks and you have also shared some excellent article and pieces that have been helping too. Yes and it’s so heinous they cry this is mental health issue and yet take all the support for it away. They are not doing anything about guns or mental health and think we will continue to support the lies. All we have to do is look at other nations and see we need not live this way. How stupid have we been? Well, we are wising up and getting the movement going.
I loved seeing you girls this week! It was a highlight with the sadness. Loved your post too and the spritz! We need to see more of the Cannes adventure. Thank you Juliet for being there with me on the same page and caring about this country. Together we can inspire more to do the same. Women are powerful and we have a chance to share facts and ideas for action here so I love that. xx
Kim, Before I read the rest of your blog, I just want to say THANK YOU for putting together this post on gun violence with all the links. Thank you for putting into words what many of us are feeling… our hearts are broken but now is the time for everyone of us to do something about this. We can’t continue as a nation when we can’t keep ALL kids safe.
And now to read the rest of your post.
Aww Lisa thank you that means a lot. I agree now is time to ask American to take action and end this nightmare.xo
Thank you for your thoughtful post on gun violence. As someone born and raised in Texas I have been increasingly appalled by the lack of leadership in our state. The focus is solely on far right wing talking points. Thank you for your support of Beto for governor! It’s a long shot, but we have to try.
Hi Kathy, I know so many good people who live in Texas and my heart goes out to them. I am doing all I can to help get the word out that your state needs help and Beto is an amazing leader. I can see him being president someday. People like Beto keep me hoping we might someday fix what we are in. Wishing you luck and thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much for this post and the links you provided. I totally agree with everything you said and wish I could articulate it as well as you have here. I definitely have used the links.
Hi Betsy, Wow thank you so much for the kind words. I’m glad the links help!
Hi Kim … I’ve been thinking about you this week and wondering how to articulate how I’m feeling … honestly as well as anger, sadness and frustration, I feel bewildered too 😞 I simply don’t understand how in your country so many people are simply not just allowing but enabling this to happen. I’ve been thinking how little children here worry about “monsters “ in the dark, under the bed etc and how children in the US are taught what to do if someone actually comes into their school with a gun to shoot them! How totally terrifying this must be to some on a daily basis … and then it happens and the outcome is so unbelievable and heartbreaking…
Thank you for speaking out Kim and for sharing all your research, information and links above.
On a lighter note the pictures you’ve chosen for Griffin’s room are just perfect … I can see why he likes them!
Love all your picnic suggestions too.
Rosemary xxx
Rosemary you in the UK probably cannot believe how we keep killing our children her over and over and do nothing about it. Shrug our shoulders and say well that’s the way things are. We must have guns though.. no matter what the price. I can’t imagine living in another nation where common sense prevails and looking in at the chaos here. We are not the greatest country in the world and haven’t been for a long time.
The children is what breaks my heart and how they have to train for this and then those who are to protect them. fail so horribly! That is the worst.
Thank you about Grif’s room. I am so grateful to have him home this week with me.
Thank you Rosemary xoxo
THANK YOU for your articulate post. Not calling it a rant as that sounds “crazy”. This is real & you are 100% spot-on!!
Good morning, Kim, Thank you for addressing the issue of the carnage that is allowed to take place in this country. I’ve been wondering how to do the most good with writing politicians and donating so thank you for the links. I was at a local baseball game last evening and a man sitting in front of me was wearing a ball cap with little gun pins on it. When he turned around and I could see the front, it said “Guns, God and the Second Amendment”. I had to control myself not to say anything or knock his stupid hat off. Could he really believe that god would want these killings?? And to wear that after what has just happened seemed so terribly inappropriate.
Your wall collage looks terrific and doesn’t look like it is done being budget friendly (on the cheap!).
I understand that you’re not feeling very yippy skippy about the holiday but maybe the picnic will help you take your mind off the news. I’m hoping I can put a hold on my feelings of anger, hopelessness and helplessness too. I always look forward to reading you on Saturday mornings with my coffee! 💝
Wren that would make me nuts that the man was proudly wearing that hat after these beautiful kids have been murdered this week. Where is the humanity? Wren this is what we are up against. You could call these people baby killers to be frank. They choose guns over our children’s lives.
Yay I was hoping the collage looked okay! Getting outside in nature was good today for me. I hope you find some good this weekend too! Thanks Wren always appreciate your notes. xo
Ending gun shows and mail-order guns will not keep a bad person from getting a gun. I am pro Second Amendment but that does not make me a promoter of gun violence. I abhor it. When Beto first appeared a few years ago, he was against guns. When his popularity plummeted he changed his tune. Now he is once again against guns. All these celebrities speaking out against guns, don’t they have armed bodyguards? And don’t they appear in movies where they shoot people?
What happened in Texas was beyond heartbreaking and horrible, but in no way was Gov. Abbott responsible.
You have a lovely column. Just didn’t realize it was political.
Linda , Is wanting to keep from kids from getting gunned done in their classrooms political then so be it. This is a human rights issue too. WHO can not mention this living in America this week?
And yes you can draw a line directly to Greg Abbott and this horrific event. He loosened gun laws after every mass shooting in Texas, and last year lowered the gun age to 18 from 21, and took away the need for gun license to carry. Both those two acts alone enabled this killer to easily get guns two days after his 18th birthday.
This article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram makes me ill and lays out how Abbott unbelievably loosened gun restrictions and even enabled more open carry, even allowing them in a church after a church massacre there where 26 people and a pregnant woman were killed. He made sure the same year, people could bring guns into church. Here is the article but by the years and what he did:
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article261757022.html
If you say you support the Second Amendment, do you realize it has been used by the gun manufacturers and lobby to get more guns in hands of people? Also the amendment was not meant to mean every citizen needs to have arms to protect against government uprises, but they have tried hard to bend it to scare people. They have made so much money by riling up people and scaring them. They are responsible for so very many deaths in America and are no better than the cigarette manufacturers were. Somehow though our politicians took their money, let them craft and change our laws and we are living that nightmare. It has to change and the more facts we share about this, Americans will wake up and see we do not need to live this way.
No other nation in this world lives with this level of gun violence and guns.
I hope you see my side and why I feel so passionately we need change.
Kim
Might want to check out this statement from Beto in March of this year: : I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone,” O’Rourke recently told KLTV in Tyler, adding an almost unbelievable statement, “What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment.” Along with the flip-flop, many other aspects of the interview were quite revealing. One of the most interesting was O’Rourke calling current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a “thug” and “authoritarian.” He also falsely blamed Abbott signing the Lone Star State’s constitutional carry law into effect last year for the death of law enforcement officers.
I’ve heard all the arguments against the Second Amendment, but I will always defend it. I legally own guns, but would use only in self defense. I do respect your point of view, but I doubt you respect mine. As I stated, what happened in Texas was heartbreaking, but the kid would have gotten a gun no matter what.
Linda, I went and found some news from March and it doesn’t look like Beto changed his mind, he supports Second Amendment for legal gun ownership with expanded background checks, but did not support OPEN CARRY of handguns, that Greg Abbot signed into law. Beto does not approve of AR-15 and assault rifles, and that hasn’t changed. In 2019 he supported a mandatory buy-back plan of those guns, which he still does.
The Second Amendment does not guarantee assault rifles or open carry. So I believe Beto is trying to appease legal gun owners, who get permits and use guns for hunting. He is one of the few that has done this and yet sees that assault weapons have no place in this country, and that open carry has proven to be a dangerous idea.
By the way, I would hope that in the past week or so, some Republicans who previously supported unchecked gun rights, have a change of heart and see how assault rifles have enabled two killers to end the lives of multiple people in under a minute. If we punish politicians for changing their minds, we punish people for learning and growing. DO we want them to swear allegiance to an ideal or do you want them to care about what matters to those they have sworn to serve and help? I feel a lot of politicians need a wake up call and change their tunes. An ever educated populace is not buying the big lie that guns make us safer. We saw first hand as armed police stood by while an 18 year old ended the life of these kids.
You say that the ‘kid would have gotten a gun anyway.’ May I tell you how much harder it is for someone to get a gun when assault weapons are banned and a legal handgun has to be run through a multi-layer background check that takes days? Maybe he wouldn’t have been flagged, but even with a handgun, and not an automatic weapon, this shooter would not have been able to take so many lives so quickly and perhaps the cops would have not been so scared to confront him. Yes there will always be illegal weapons on the street, and yet we should still do all we can to prevent dangerous guns from proliferating our nation. I will never believe we need to live this way. Do you know the stories of mass shootings in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland? When assault weapons were banned and strict legislation regarding guns (licenses and background checks and limited ammunition) were implemented, mass shootings have almost completely stopped.
I ask you Linda is this not worth doing for the lives of our citizens?? For the lives of small children? Children should not have to be afraid of being killed in school. People should not fear being gunned down in the grocery JUST SO WE CAN HAVE ANY WEAPON WE WISH FOR ANYONE!! It’s ludicrous. You must support common sense gun control, especially as a Second Amendment person.
Hey Linda, Texan speaking here. It seems like the majority of your quotes regarding Beto came directly from Abbott’s Web page, or at least quite a partisan source. And we here in Austin, particularly in my central Austin neighborhood, understand that Abbott prioritizes the will of a minority of voters here in Texas. In other words, he does not support us in Austin in any way.
The truth of the matter is this: The Texas Politics Project for UT Austin asked voters nine times since 2015 whether they believe the state’s gun laws should be more or less strict, and each time a plurality or majority has expressed support for more stringent laws. In other words, “Texans, like most Americans, favor stricter gun control laws.” (Taken from a Politico online article dated 5/27/22.)
So you can support your so-called “rights” as much as you want, but you are strongly in the minority. My hope is that some day soon, the majority opinion will carry in my state, and in the US. And no, I don’t respect your point of view, so I wish you’d just get out of the way. I respect the right of my fellow human beings, including children, to live.
Lisa hugely appreciate you weighing in here and giving the perspective of another Texan. Well said!
Linda I wanted to address you comment specifically about gun shows not making a difference. This was very good from the Gifford’s Center:
‘Gun shows promote the unregulated sale of deadly weapons, often creating the perfect venue to circumvent gun safety laws. Because private sellers aren’t subject to many of the laws put in place to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of individuals who are prohibited from owning them, gun shows create a hassle-free way for potential buyers to avoid regulations and acquire guns with little or no oversight. Most gun show sales don’t require background checks or waiting periods, making it far too easy for ineligible purchasers to obtain guns and do harm.
Often held at public venues like fairgrounds or civic centers, gun shows operate as temporary, largely unregulated markets for the transfer of firearms. Thousands of people attend the more than 4,000 gun shows held in the United States.’
Just know 22% of all gun owners bought without a background check. And we know if this nation that is a LOT of guns.
Unsurprisingly, then, guns purchased at gun shows are disproportionately used in criminal activity. Studies indicate that guns purchased in states with weak gun show regulations are particularly likely to be used in crime.
More information about this and whole lot of studies and facts from the ATF on Giffords
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/gun-sales/gun-shows/
Thank you so much for addressing the issue of gun violence. Good for you! I appreciate all the links. May we all be safe.
Thanks so much Rita!
ps … I do hesitate to comment when it’s not my country I’m commenting on … and I’m not in any way saying that I feel my country gets things right all the time either …
Rosemary
Rosemary I want to hear from people who are from other nations! We need the encouragement to know there are safer and better ways to live. You had issue and you swiftly took action and have lived peacefully without fear. We can do the same! We have been brainwashed here.xo
Kim, you are amazing. You have done your research and have a plan. You have articulated what so many are feeling and are unable to say. Having worked for a Senator answering calls and writing letters in response to the constituents and working in Washington and seeing the power of lobbyist, not just gun lobbyist but for everything you can imagine this is a fight. IF WE WANT TO SEE CHANGE WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CALL ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE AND CONTINUE TO BRING IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE GOVERNMENT, not only the Federal government but the sate and local as well.
This cannot be yet another shooting where there is a lot of lip service from so many and then…crickets. Real change takes time and we cannot give up this time.
On a different note. I love your picnic idea. I love a picnic! I am off to get this book. I have a few vintage picnic baskets to carry my food and drink but I need ideas for portable food.
How wonderful to have your son home, mess and all. I am sure that it is wonderful to have laughter and friends in the house.
Have a wonderful weekend Kim, thank you for sharing your heart. Have a wonderful weekend. xoElizabeth
Elizabeth, Thank you and I know you must have seen first hand the way lobbyists are shaping our nation. It’s another reason we need to get that and money out of politics. It’s terrible!! You are sos correct it’s a state and local issue very much too. We have to brace ourselves for a long fight, but if we don’t even try, how can we live with ourselves? The more we get the American people to see the way the gun manufacturers have taken over our nation, by sharing the information over and over and the straight line to laws from them, it will be powerful.
You have vintage picnic baskets? How cool! I am going to look for those.. I hope you’ll love the picnic book! Enjoy your weekend too! xo
Thank you, Kim, for articulating what we are all feeling. At the moment, it’s hard to feel like a proud American. Hopefully, your links will be productive. With peace, Pam
Thank you Pam..It’s absolutely how I’m feeling right now sadly. I hope they are helpful. Thank you Pam for the note!
Kim, thank you for addressing these critical issues facing our country right now! You are so articulate and expressed so well the anger and sadness I’ve been feeling all week! I had to take a break from news, i was so upset! Appreciate all the links you’ve provided for donations and letters we can send to let our Congress know how “we aren’t going to take this anymore!” Thank you for having the guts to express it all so well! You are so appreciated.
Rhonda thank you. I too had to turn off the news. It’s too awful. Thank you and your note means a lot. xo
Thank you, thank you for expressing your gun violence opinions. I’m tired of “political correctness and people feeling that they might offend their readers with their honest opinions. Kudos to you! Another honest person is Bill Penzey, CEO of Penzey’s Spices. His messages are straight from the heart, and he is not afraid of offending any customer. I pray every night that this madness will end and our elected leaders will do the right thing and pass strict purchasing laws and the elimination of assault rifles.
Hi Beverly, Thank you so much for this. I also admire Bill! He is one who speaks out for a better world! Gosh if we can’t use our blogs for change, what are we doing here? We are going to keep living this reality for our citizens and kids.
Thanks for your prayers and I do the same. We have so many good people in this nation and I am really encouraged to know that nearly 90% of us want gun reform and automatic guns gone. The problem is congress doesn’t accurately represent the views as the Dems senators represent 44 million more people than the Republicans, but each state has 2 and that makes thing unbalanced especially now does not accurately reflect the opinions and views of this nation. We have a lot of work to do.
Hi Kim,
I agree with everything you said here. I made a donation this morning to Everytown. I think a lot of Americans aren’t going to take this anymore. I was sickened when I heard a couple doctors saying how some of these kids in the Uvalde shooting were initially hard to ID because they were unrecognizable. The bullet from the AR-15 does so much more damage to the human body than a handgun. I am so tired of the Republicans saying everyone wants to take their guns away. Same old narrative…so happy I switched parties the weekend after Jan. 6th. I was going to do it when Trump was elected but after the riots I was done. I am so glad I live in California, not that we haven’t had our fair share of shootings but at least there are some laws in place to try and protect us.
Looks like you had a nice time at Elizabeth’s home…I just love her gardens.
Linda
Linda thanks and so wonderful you donated. I too heard from Juliet about how the children had to be identified by DNA evidence. They needed the parents DNA… NO words how horrific that is. No one should ever own one of those guns as a citizen. They are made for killing in multiples. How many more of these massacres are we going to have to live before Republican voters wake up and say their party is responsible for the gun culture here. Gosh so happy to hear you changed parties. We need all the Dems we can get to turn this tide. I agree California has problems, but I do feel safer. I don’t see people with open carry and there are so many less gun deaths here vs states with lax laws.
Elizabeth’s home is stunning! I will share more tomorrow on my Instagram.. x
P.S. 60 Minutes is re-running their special report this Sunday on the AR-15 they did last year and how ER doctors struggle with those kind of wounds. These guns have to go.
Oh wow I must have missed that episode last year…I am glad they are running it again. I can still remember my dad watching 60 Minutes every Sunday night back in the 70’s. Now we watch it too. 🙂 I may have mentioned before that my daughter and son-in-law are in law enforcement. They both work in a women’s detention center although he now mostly has a desk job involving training and his next step is sergeant. He grew up with guns (hunting etc) and I will not discuss the shooting with him. I babysat my grandkids on Thursday…he probably thought I was going to bring it up but I will not go there. Maybe now they have kids he will see things differently, one can only hope!
Linda I think 60 Minutes is such a good show for family to watch and we did the same with my dad and even grandparents back in the 70’s too. It keeps getting the truth out about so many areas of life we need to work on – and also happy stories.
I can understand your hesitancy mentioning this event to him. It makes law enforcement look badly, but we know there are also so many other good people in it too. And thing change when you have children. You do see the world differently! Take care. x
Thank you for your thoughts and your research on the issue of this ongoing insanity. The second amendment is vague, poorly written, and the product of men who could not possibly have foreseen the weaponry of today. Some gun owners choose to focus solely on the “right of the people to keep and bear arms”; most of us ask (beg!) that someone finally focus on the “well regulated” aspect of the 2nd amendment. To suggest that the people have a “right” to all available weaponry necessary to defend a “free State” against an overreaching Federal army is ludicrous. Citizens can’t purchase tanks or bomber planes or nuclear weapons; the notion that we have the “right” to own automatic weapons, developed for military use, is only slightly less absurd.
Sarah, Well said and it makes no sense in modern times. The Second Amendment idea was used by a lawyer for defense some years ago and corrupted by the gun lobby and the NRA to push out as many guns into the hands of Americans they could. They coupled that with the idea that you aren’t safe in your home, the government is going to maybe fold and you’re going to need your weapons? It’s conspiracy theory crap and we are letting kids die as people hold onto this vague old legislation. It’s insanity and we need to stop it.
Kim! I could not agree more! I love that you shared so many ideas on how to get involved and where to donate. How people can think we don’t have a gun issue is beyond…
I love your idea to get out in nature. We stayed close to home and worked in the garden. It just felt right to be home, maybe tomorrow we will get out for a picnic. It’s so hard to think about anything else right now though.
Your lunch at Elizabeth’s villa looks so lovely. So nice to be able to all get together!
xx
Annie, Thank you so much. I know it’s good to garden during these hard times and get a break.
I wish you could have been with us a Elizabeths.
Take care Annie. xo
This country has erased our creator God and his best ways to live from almost every single area of our lives, culture and communities…why are we shocked when we see abhorrent behavior and crime? Aborting the “least of these”, human and sex trafficking, etc,, etc. If we are angered by horrid gun violence then we must also be equally angered and fight to stomp out every other sin that ruins us all. We are experiencing cultural rot! No politician is any match or will ever solve any problem that only personally acknowledging God can solve.
Suzi,
Funny how nations with less religion seem to have none of these horrible massacres and daily shooting deaths in the hundreds. It almost seems like the religious right is the source of our problems as they are the ones pushing so hard for more guns and less regulation of them. It would be wonderful if churches and those who crow so loudly about the sanctity of life, would care about life once it’s on earth. Why does a child’s life in elementary school or a older person who lives in a poor black neighborhood, deserve to have their life taken away in an instant by an easily bought gun? Why do the unborn lives matter more than their lives? You need to care equally about both, if not more for those who are already here on earth with us.
WHY aren’t churches in mass doing anything to stop the murder of children and citizens? I see churches giving and supporting the same men who are taking money from the NRA and gun lobby and creating a nation that lets guns have more precedence than human lives. How is that Godly? It’s putting money above life.It’s greed.
If you’re going to say lack of religion is the answer and not enough god then share how? So far those in his houses of worship have enabled this violence in many ways. In the nations with almost no gun violence they are more secular, so I don’t see a correlation. God them must love them better then? Explain this. The more religion that exists in a country, the more dangerous it seems to live in. Are you arguing for us to be more like Afghanistan?
Wow, so if I go to a “house of worship” I have “enabled this violence in many ways”? So now we can blame God and his worshipers for the pure EVIL of this man?
Living in Kansas we hunt deer, pheasant, quail and turkey. As well as elk from Colorado and fish from Alaska. We eat what we have hunted. Kind of hard to go hunting without a rifle which I’m sure falls into your category of gun ownership.
Obviously, you have made it very clear you prefer your readers to be from the Democratic party as well as Godless so I guess that counts me out. Unsubscribed.
Hi Linda, So first of all, no one said going to a house of worship enables violence. What I did bring up though is the fact that many evangelical and conservative churches in this nation, support Republicans only. The sanctity of life is always front and center in these churches as the biggest thing to them, and yet they solely support and vote for these people who are directly funded by the gun manufacturers and crafting laws that harm kids and citizens. They put guns and gun freedom above the life of children and citizens in this country. If you can’t see that connection then you need to open your eyes more.
Also vey important, know no one want to remove guns from hunters and people who need them for ranches, etc. What needs to happen is removal of assault rifles. They’re made for war and have no place in civilized society. They were made for killing many people at once. No hunter needs that and they certainly do not need them on our streets.
Common sense gun control is all anyone ever has asked for, background checks that are nationwide, not just per state, red flag laws that stop a dangerous person from getting a gun and killing someone the same day, like the man who killed his doctor this week. So many reasons you should question being a Republican right now. I have voted Republican in my life too. Right now though, they stand for one thing now, profits above human lives and I can’t abide that. I don’t want that kind of country. I don’t want the gun lobby making the rules for us. How people who are taking the money from them, and then rolling back protections like Abbott has and others? How do they sleep at night knowing that they have essentially made a deal with the devil? That children’s lives and others are endangered by these dangerous guns and loose laws that are their own doing? Jesus would not approve.
P.S.
Kim, I read though just a few of the comments and I really respect how you responded to Linda. You have facts on your side and are great at making your case. Yes, how is it not appropriate to mention this after what happened……again. We are all entitled to our viewpoints as long as we aren’t mean and nasty about it. I think it’s called civil discourse. Keep sharing!
Wren thank you. I really tried to listen to everyone! The only comment I didn’t publish was someone who was touting some conspiracy theories.
xoxo
Kim I’m with you a thousand percent on “gun violence,” it’s so heart wrenching to think of what has just taken place again in our country. The upsetting thing is this could all had been avoided if our laws were so different. To think that two 18 year olds can get a hold of guns and ammunition is truly troubling. It’s like here we go again. I hope this time serious change will take place. Everything you shared I see exactly the same way. It’s insane to allow guns without regulations.
Changing over to a much lighter subjects, I so enjoyed your luncheon. All of you gals are darling.
I don’t always reply to your posts, however please know I enjoy everything you have to share. The wedding was really beautiful. Wow the setting was spectacular.
Sending joy and smiles to you.
Katherine, Thank you for your voice and support here!! Means a lot that so many feel the same and are not going to live this way anymore.
Aww thank you I feel so lucky to have these sweet friends.
Thanks Katherine and same back to you. xo
IT HAS ALL BEEN SAID……….HATS OFF TO YOU AS ONLY YOU CAN DO IN THIS BLOGGING WORLD!
SO HAPPY TO SEE POSITIVE COMMENTS AS IF NOT; YOU KNOW I WILL COME TO YOUR AID!
NO ONE NEEDS A GUN AND NO 18 YEARS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TWO LET ALONE ONE!
I READ WHERE GUN SALES ARE ONLY DONE BY PAPERWORK!!!!!NO COMPUTER TRACKING!!!!!
HOW THE HELL DOES THAT WORK IN THIS AGE?
NO GUNS PERIOD.
I WONDER HOW THE NRA WOULD FEEL IF THEIR CHILDREN OR FAMILY WERE GUNNED DOWN…..?
NOW THATS A THOUGHT!
Love you. I am just trying my best to make sense of this and speak out. I am not going to keep quiet about the lie we are living that we need these assault weapons gone and loose gun laws ended.
The gun purchase only through paperwork is a real thing. In 1986, Congress enacted the Firearms Protection Act, which bans the ATF from creating a registry of guns, gun owners or gun sales. Congress also put a rider barring the agency from “consolidation or centralization” of gun dealers’ records in every spending bill affecting the agency from 1979 through 2011, then made the prohibition permanent, under law, which is unbelievable and most Americans don’t know this. Also what data they do have is stored in boxes, not computers and is essentially unusable or untraceable. When the ATF wanted to update computers, the gun lobby and those beholden to it, shut that down. According to The Trace:
‘In 1978, the ATF tried to make dealers report most sales each quarter. The National Rifle Association and other groups denounced the plan, and lobbied to kill the reporting requirement. Congress did as the gun lobby requested, blocking the quarterly report proposal and reducing the ATF’s budget by $5 million: the amount the agency had sought to update its computer capacity.’
This is what we are talking about when we say this nation is run by the gun lobby and those who take their money are evil and greed driven to change such important laws and information that could protect us all. It’s sickening.
We have to stay angry and not shut up until this is overturned. xo
Hi Kim,
I’m finally able to respond to this post. I’m so impressed with the thoughtful and eloquent way you expressed your thoughts. I agree with you 100%. Thank you for putting into words how I feel, and offering suggestions to what we can do to try to initiate change. I’m always surprised at the religious response, which makes no sense to me, or the righteousness of some people, who put their right to gun ownership over other’s right to live their lives free of harassment and terror and fear of being killed. The 2nd amendment “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. Seems pretty clear to me. No average citizen needs to own and carry guns in everyday life, especially not semi-automatic ones.. It’s all so insane. I grieve for the families and those children.
Xo Heidi
Heidi, You have touched on something I really do not get. How can you ever put your right to own guns over the lies of children and others? Someone from Australia was asked how they sho easily all gave their assault weapons up when they had a school massacre, and the answers were to the likes of ‘How could we not?’ and ‘How could we ever care about guns over kid’s lives?’
I hope our nation starts to see it that way, and Republicans especially need to appeal to their representatives, who are taking the money from the gun lobby and enabling these loose laws and blocking any reform and safety. Maybe once their constituents come at them they will wake up?? I don’t know though a lot of them sure feel okay ding this even if it’s killing kids.
Agree the Second Amendment was written by slave owning rich men who, also believed women were not full citizens, slaves were a right and other heinous things we no longer hold true or defend. This militia thing is a way gun manufacturers have corrupted this and the right wing news media have led us to believe we need to defend ourselves and so guns must be allowed…Note this was written before we had a military in this nation.
It’s all insanity and we need not live this way. Let’s look to other nations for example and start the change. They don’t live with fear of their children or family being killed on a normal day, just because someone else is having a bad one.
Hi Kim,
It was a great post and I agree with you on many points about gun violence. We need to get rid of the automatic rifles there is no reason for them to exist at all. Another thing I think we should look at is the way young men are brought up on these very violent video games. I think it desensitize them to what actually killing is. I could be wrong but I think this is something that might have something to do with what we see as well. We need to do something. America cannot continue on this trajectory. It is all sad and overwhelming. I’m glad you all got together for lunch at Elizabeth’s house. One day I hope to come join you all !! I would love to meet you in person! Martha
HI Martha!
Thank you so much for the note. I absolutely agree with you that at the same time we work on the huge amount of guns in this nation, we also look at the influence violence plays a role. One thing I read this weekend is that the manufacturers who made this gun the killer bought, Daniel Defense, directly targeted kids who played games like Call of Duty. This is how they connected to the killer. Both things need serious look at.
I think the violence in movies bothers me hugely too. Sorry I cannot enjoy a film where tons of people get blown away. It’s rare to see a preview without weapons and gratuitous violence and rarely do we talk about it. Parents seem happy to line up for the next Marvel movie, even if it has loads of violent scenes. It’s not good for anyone.
That said, they guns are the defining difference between us and other nations.They have these awful games and movies and not these massacres and school shootings. The difference is people cannot easily get a gun, especially automatic weapons, and especially young men without a permit. Suicide are much lower in those nations too as guns make it much easier. So many reasons we need less guns in our nation!
I know we need to meet up! Martha we would love that so much. Maybe we can meet in the middle at Cindy’s home someday soon?
xo
Kim
You may be cutting your enrollment audience in half (or more) by including political comments such as this one on gun violence. I will not be viewing your publications any longer.
Amy thanks for your concern, but I’ve had nothing, but good feedback from my posts on the scourge of gun violence that we are living in this country. We are the only nation on earth that has daily gun deaths in the hundreds, and 3800 massacres in this nation since Sandy Hook, we cannot live this way anymore.
We need to put human lives and children above the agenda of the gun lobby and gun manufacturers. If you are offended by the idea of gun reform, to protect children and the citizens of this country, then yes you best move on. I’m not going to stay quiet about a nightmare that could affect you, me and any of us at any time if we don’t speak up and give a damn.
I’ve read through all the comments on your ideas about gun control and I’m amazed that so many people blame the government, gun manufacturers etc.
Where is the accountability of the parent/family? Why do we looked to a flawed government system to tell us what to do? The break down of the family, taking God out of everything, just sad. Should we take away knives, cars and bomb making materials, just not sure where this should end…
Hi Jen, I think what you are missing is the statistics about gun violence. If you look to other countries that have gun control, they have very few deaths from guns. Whether parents or God are involved in the equation, it doesn’t really matter. What does is ending the proliferation of guns everywhere for anyone who wants them.
Something you may want to read more about..https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-us-gun-violence-world-comparison/
NO other developed nation has the level of deaths by gun that we do. Those who do, tend to be poor nations like El Salvador and other that have rampant gang violence.
So just an interesting point, the areas in the United States with the most religious people and church goers are the same areas with more deadly massacres and gun violence. How are religion and family values helping there? Also, other nations have video games, poor parents, and not perfect governments, but they don’t have easily accessed weapons.
By the way, the argument you state about taking away knives, bomb making material.. That is an old one used by the gun lobby. I would much rather take my chances with a knife than with a weapon of war, wouldn’t you? These other nations have knives too.