The horrific massacre that transpired in Newtown hit me hard. Not simply because I am a parent and a teacher, but because gun violence has become so rampant and so senseless. I remember being in Colorado last summer and passing through Aurora and wondering how such an event could happen. I live ten minutes from Oak Creek, Wisconsin and had that same sense of dismay and hopelessness. I also live in a city where the sound of gun shots and sirens is common – almost nightly during the summer months. A night without sirens is odd. I wish that all assault weapons could be wiped off the face of the earth. Here is an image that I made encouraging their ban.