Letter: Shooting headline sends wrong message

I was appalled to read the Dec. 16 headline: "Despite toll, mass killings remain rare." While statistically accurate, it sends the wrong message.

Is even one mass killing regardless of the age of the victims acceptable? Is the killing of one innocent child or adult going about his or her daily life under any circumstance acceptable if it doesn't happen too often or to us personally?

There were true heroes at Sandy Hook who put their lives on the line to save others, but that along with the outpouring of compassion must be small comfort to the families whose lives were shattered by the loss of a loved one of any age to senseless violence.

It is past time to seriously address the issues that lead to incidents like Sandy Hook. It is not only about guns, only about better security measures, or only about mental illness.

Preventing future incidents will not be easy, without controversy, or without cost; but I cannot imagine any of us can honestly say we can bear to hear or read another report of the mass murder of innocents.

Identifying the causes of tragedies like Sandy Hook is futile unless and until we are committed to act in a meaningful way to forestall such tragedies in the future.

I hope and pray that we, as a country, are finally ready to make that commitment as the only meaningful way to honor those who lost their lives.

Judith Rehermann

Live Oak