Lorenzo Doss was shot with a gun years ago. Was the same thing about to happen to his son?
—
When gun violence hits home, it is something that will send you through a plethora of emotions. It was 8:00 pm on an ordinary evening, and my son asked to walk to his friends house briefly. Twenty minutes later I get a call from my son. He is breathing hard and telling me, “Dad, I need you to pick me up someone just pulled a gun on me and my friend.” My heart starts racing because I can hear the panic in his voice. I played basketball that day and had pulled my hamstring, but I push past the pain quickly as I put my shoes on and have my other kids tie them up. I grab the keys and limp as fast as I can to the car. Putting the key in the hole, shaking with adrenalin, praying that no one has hurt my baby—although he is 14 he’s still my baby. I push the gas pedal all the way down to the floor and I get around the corner where my son is in less than a minute. My son flags me down with a cell phone light and jumps in the car. “Where is he?” I ask. “He walked down this way,” my son says, his voice still shaking. He points up the street. I mash the gas again looking for this guy who just threatened my sons life. Gun violence has been around since the invention of the gun, but when it touches the lives of your family is when it gets REAL, as they say.
Last night one of my greatest fears as a father challenged me deeply. The fear of losing my son to gun violence is one of the scariest things that we as parents can face. My whole heart goes out to the families of children that have been killed due to gun crimes. I personally was shot back in 1998 with a 45 cal in my stomach and chest, when we arrived at the hospital we crashed into a telephone pole. I had to kick my way out of the car bleeding severely and with a collapsed lung. I awoke 18 hours later after surgery a changed man. The sound, the pain and the shock of being shot several times will forever remain fresh in my mind. My love—not only for my children, but all children—has continued to make me ever watchful for their lives and safety. Not being able to be with them 24 hours a day keeps me praying that My God will cover and protect them. We all want to see our kids grow up and be successful positive people who know how to love their fellow human being and to be world changers. With the deaths of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary (R.I.P) recently, gun violence issues have been on the minds of us all. I am divided on the issue of guns because I know that there are a lot of people who have guns and are responsible and would not use violence unless given no choice. But there are a lot of people who use guns only for violence, for power, intimidation and other criminal activity. Unfortunately good things always have a dark side once humans are involved.
Although my son is a A-B student whose schedule is full with band (he is an exceptional drummer), and football, it seems that no place is safe for our kids and making things totally safe somehow strains the american way of life and infringes on civil liberties of those who are obeying the law. The question of having or not having guns in America will continue to be a debate that is prevalent in our society.
I pray that one day we ALL can live in this country learning the true value of life and what it means for us as a country, to conquer this issue of gun violence in our society. I hope that those who have guns follow the laws and only use them as a last defense. Let us not treat life like a movie when people are hoping the bad guy gets shot. A life is a life, and when it is your own child that is killed the reality of life will forever be in the forefront of your heart.
Take care America. Protect your kids.
—
image by ssosay / flickr
Originally published on diaryofasleepydad.com