Guns kill people

In an ideal world, Christians are supposed to be completely safe and protected from potential violence, especially while attending a prayer meeting inside a church. And nobody would challenge me if I say that in a sane universe, children should be totally safe and free from harm while learning and playing in school.

Patrons watching a movie in a cinema in a civilised society should also expect that if any shooting is going to happen, it would happen exclusively on the big screen. And one would have thought that in 2016 gay, lesbian, transsexual and queer people would be safe and happy in gay night club in the United States of America. But things are not the way they should be.

Why? The answer is partly in the simple but powerful message of that 1980 tune by Eddie Fitzroy that says, "di gun, di gun, di gun it is a dangerous weapon. Di gun, di gun, di gun it is a wicked invention." Yeah man, is true. And acquiring that wicked invention in the US appears to be about as easy as getting good ganja to buy in Jamaica. The thing though, is that guns...well, simply put, guns kill people.

Yes people, and what happened with guns in the hands of a sick man in Orlando over the weekend is beyond wrong. No ifs, no buts, no maybe or because. It just damn downright immoral and scary. Yuh nuh agree? I don't know any of the victims or survivors, but God knows I feel for them and their family.

hate and terror

And I join all the people of conscience in condemning the attack that has been aptly labelled by US president Barrack Obama as 'an act of hate and terror'.

I have to join the chorus. What's the point of having a voice, if I did not add my voice today, to the millions all over the world expressing sorrow, anger and outrage over the senseless loss of lives? What's the purpose of having a heart if you're not touched by the palpable pain and grief that one man inflicted on so many people who never did him any harm?

The Orlando shooter's father reportedly suggested in an interview that the murderous rampage he went on may have been triggered after seeing two men kiss in public. How that affect him? I have said this before, and I will say it again for all the self-appointed judges and arbiters of other people's sexual morality: what another consenting adult does sexually should only be your business if you intend to have sex with him or her! It should not be the basis for war. And right now, it feels like we're in the midst of a war.

suffer more

Fi real peeps, it feels like we are living in a world at war with itself. And all of us suffer the collateral consequences - although some suffer more than others. My heart goes out to all the already maligned and marginalised gay people whose sense of security is now further compromised by the tragedy in Florida. And my heart goes out to the genuine, devout Muslims who will now face more discrimination and be unfairly judged by the actions of one cowardly and deranged man who chose to dress up his ugly hate in the garment of radical religious rhetoric.

Look here nuh, I'm not about to join the bright people who are busy drawing battle lines and taking positions on either sides of the debates around homophobia versus LGBTQ rights or US gun control policies and second amendments rights, etc. But I have to wonder how a man who has been investigated by the FBI for possible links to terrorism can legally buy semi-automatic weaponry easy, easy so. If this world nuh crazy, me mad! box-mi-back@hotmail.com.