[direwolf]

From Dan Rather on Facebook:

As the grief shakes within me, as the numbing sensation of senseless loss engulfs my mind, I reel with the sickening knowledge that this has happened again... again... again...scores of lives cut short in a burst of gun violence - more children without parents and parents without children.

As I contend with the sadness, another emotion wells within me, an unrelenting and abiding anger. How can we consider ourselves the greatest country on earth and allow this to happen again... and again... and again... Are we really so powerless and impotent? Those are not the qualities I have come to expect from this nation or its leaders.

I grew up in a gun culture and have owned guns. But there is a difference between common sense and senselessness. And right now many of our gun laws are senseless. The scale of carnage in Las Vegas suggests a level of firepower that has no business being in the hands of civilians.

Is it too soon to say we have been here before? Does it disrespect the memories of the most recent innocent victims? I am sure many will think so. But if not now, when? In the wake of terrorist attacks, we pledge to do whatever is necessary to protect lives in the future. Isn't this a terrorist attack? I am sure those in the audience last night felt the terror in their hearts. After plane crashes, we look at every possible source of failure or weakness and fix the system. Why should guns be different?

And one final note on last night's shooting. Most of the initial news reports didn't mention the shooter's race or religion. Could you imagine if the circumstances had been different? It's a reminder that sickness and violence is not bound to any one demographic. And we should be very careful before we fall into simplistic narratives.

There are no words or prayers we can offer to lesson the lifetimes of grief that lie ahead for those affected. But we can pledge to all do our part to unite and do our best to find ways to diminish the chances of it happening again.