Today

It is with heavy hearts that Brian and I have watched the events at Virginia Tech. I first heard about it when I spotted a headline on Yahoo. We have BBC news 24 and CNN so we've had a couple of different journalistic lenses through which to encounter this tragedy. I have many thoughts about violence, guns and security, and I did consider writing about them here.... but this is a blog about our move, and shall stay as such. What I really want to say is that we are sad with the US today. I suppose what I will also say, (as it bears relevence to our move to the UK) is that I have tremendous trouble with the gun culture in the US. When a classroom of primary children were shot down with their teacher in the town of Dunblane, Scotland about 10 years ago, the lobbyists immediately set their minds to tightening gun laws - and it worked. accessibility to guns is incerdibly tight here and we've seen no more of these types of massacres in Scotland since then. I know that Scotland is a much smaller country thus making it easier to make said changes... still. Watching the BBC has been fascinating, The reporters repeatedly express the incredulity of the British public at the fact that despite the frequency of gun violence in the USA, guns are still extremely accessible. So, I tell you that just to let you in on the culture from which we watch this tragedy. People I have talked to today just cannot comprehend the concept of having access to, or a right to own firearms. Neither can I. I understand the for and against arguments, but... well... I don't think you have to guess where I land on the issue.

However, all that, in my opinion, can be laid aside for a moment as we continue to pray for those who have lost loved ones, and for the school as they deal with this devastating tragedy.