Unfathomable

A girl I played soccer with in high school died yesterday in what can only be considered the most senseless of tragedies. She was hit by a bullet in the throat at a party at her own house. Apparently two guys got in a fight and one pulled a gun and aimed at the other guy and fired. The bullet passed through this guy's scalp and lodged itself in Jenna's throat. The guy lived. Jenna didn't.

She was celebrating the end of spring soccer season with her friends. She had everything in the world going for her. She was one of the best soccer players I've ever seen...a star in the Big 12 for the University of Nebraska, a member of the US Women's U-21 Team, and a possible player on the US Women's Olympic Team. Even though she was only a sophomore when I played with her, she was a team leader...always positive, always fun, always making you want to be better. On top of that, she was sweet, funny, well-liked, and very smart.

You have to wonder what's wrong with the world when someone like that is taken from it. It's an unfair world for sure. We all know that, but there are certain moments that make that brutally clear. And the most infuriating part of it is that we have the power to make it a bit fairer, to make it so that less people have to suffer through such unfathomable tragedies. Why in God's name did a 22 year old have a gun at a college party? Why did he have a gun at all? Why do we defend, defend, defend the right of people to carry guns when we all know that the purpose of a gun is to kill? You can talk to me all you want about our rights and self-defense, but I will never agree with you. I'm not saying that guns used for hunting are terrible. I'm saying that a handgun, which is specifically designed to kill humans, has no place in a civilized world. It's a tragedy waiting to happen. It's a tragedy that could be waiting to happen to someone you know and love. It's time we did something about it. Fuck the NRA. Fuck the people who claim that any kind of check on a gun is a denial of basic rights. Life...that's the one right that we should all be working to protect. Think about it. Think about how you live. And think about how you vote. And think about how that lifestyle and that vote could help or hurt the lives you care about.

There will be plenty of elegies for Jenna from people who knew her far better than I did. I won't pretend that we were the best of friends. I enjoyed the time I spent with her, and I am glad I had a chance to know her and interact with her on a daily basis for two years. The thought of what happened saddens and sickens me. Despite all our wishes, there is nothing we can do to change what has happened. I can only keep her family and friends in my prayers and ask that you do too. And in honor of her and all others who have been victims of such horrible violence, we must do all that we can to make our world a safer and more loving place. It's our responsibility.