Open letter to my Bishop, in Albany NY- Asking about Gun Control Petition/Letter Drive. 2-22-18

Dear Bishop Scharfenberger,
I sent this email to you yesterday, but I had a computer issue. So, I'm sending it again today, in case you didn't receive it.

I'm writing you to get your support. I would like to see our Albany diocese start a letter writing campaign and/or petition drive to ask our federal government for effective gun control reform to prevent more school shootings at the hands of people who shouldn't possess high powered automatic guns/riffles.

 
I am a practicing Catholic and a public school teacher. My family, my students and my colleges are worried about gun violence in our schools. I wrote about this sad issue on Christmas day of 2012, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. On December 14, 2012, a sole young deranged gun man, with an automatic rifle took the life of 20 children and 6 teachers. 
Several days ago a similar incident took place at yet another school in Parkland, Florida, that killed at least 17 people, stunning the town and much of the nation once again.

I knew that a similar massacre would likely happen again because our federal government has failed to pass sensible gun control reform. As we all know last week 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons, murdered 17 students at Parkland HS, in Florida. He was also known for harassing his girlfriend and for showing erratic violent behavior. He also made threats online. He wrote on Face Book: "I'm going to be a professional school shooter." 

It's obvious that we must do more to protect our children. We can't let this bloodshed to continue. We can't let the NRA sell us more guns because the US already has 270,000,000 guns on its soil! According to Gun Control - ProCon.org -  the US has the highest per capita number in the world; 22% of Americans own one or more guns, that is 88.8 guns per 100 people! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out! More guns produce more deaths! 33,000/year and 80,000 wounded. Congress needs to pass common sense gun reform legislation to protect all citizens from the mentally deranged, criminals, fanatics and terrorists! I'm not against the 2nd Amendment- just against the wrong people having powerful guns, like automatic rifles and high capacity magazines. These are weapons of war- used only to kill large groups of people at once. Let's do something to stop this bloodbath! We must if we truly care for our school children.
 

I also know that the Bible tells us that: "Faith without action is useless." I'm not dismissing the power of prayer, but I think that we also need to take action if we want to prevent additional tragedies as these. Therefore, I implore you, dear bishop, and everyone who reads this letter, to take some positive action. 

Here are some suggestions, some steps -that I've already taken- and I hope you will too. I think that a letter and/or petition drive, throughout the Albany Diocese, would be helpful in showing our leaders that they need to do more to protect our school children from gun violence. It is essential to let them know, hence I invite you , and all who care about human life, to write to your politicians at the State, but more importantly at Federal level (NY has the Safe Act- although illegal weapons could be brought into our State), sign petitions, and join groups, like Newtown Action Alliance (NAA) who have been pushing for a federal ban on assault weapons since the Sandy Hook tragedy. Click on the link below, or paste into your address browser, to join one or more of these groups https://www.facebook.com/NewtownActionAlliance/posts/1598286016945324

FB video: EXTREME SECURITY INSIDE "AMERICA'S SAFEST SCHOOLS" https://www.facebook.com/nbcnightlynews/videos/10156386751733689/
If our elected leders in Congress fail, once again, to pass gun legislation that aims at protecting our students, then our schools should be equipedd with security systems as this one- to prevent further bloodshed.

Thank you

Ottavio Lo Piccolo,

Saint Anthony's Church member, Sch'dy, NY

Tel 518-370-4476

PS,

I also hope that you will publish this letter in the Evangelist.

To read the letter I wrote to our politicians, after the Sandy Hook Shooting in 2012, please click on the link below;
 http://ottaviolopiccolo.blogspot.com/2018/02/that-i-shared-with-media-family-friends.html



OTHER USEFUL SITES WE CAN USE TO TAKE ACTION

1. Petition - Ban Assault Weapons and High Capacity Magazines Now! PETITION BACKGROUND:  Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Americans deserve a strong response from our elected leaders. Over 165 gun violence prevention groups and allies have joined the Campaign Against Assault Weapons to ban #WeaponsOfWar to keep our families and communities safe. We invite you to join our campaign by signing our petition. http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5610/c/1681/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=25421

2. Teacher and/or administrators, please watch this Face Book video, titled: EXTREME SECURITY INSIDE "AMERICA'S SAFEST SCHOOLS" https://www.facebook.com/nbcnightlynews/videos/10156386751733689/

Then share, the above video (and this post too:)!... with your collegues and school administrators. If our elected leders in Congress fail once again- to pass gun legislation that aims at protecting our students- then our schools should be equipedd with security systems as this one- to prevent further bloodshed.

Thank you!

Feel free to read my gun reform letter to;
1. Our political leaders, after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, click on the link: http://ottaviolopiccolo.blogspot.com/2018/02/that-i-shared-with-media-family-friends.html

Online Articles:
1. The NRA can be Beat- (& Who gets their Funding)- NY Times Editorial https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/opinion/the-nra-can-be-beat.html?smid=fb-share

2. Japan has almost completely eliminated gun deaths — here's how. By Chris Weller, Feb. 15, 2018. Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-control-how-japan-has-almost-completely-eliminated-gun-deaths-2017-10