Powerful speech on guns

I found it refreshing, but also depressing, to listen to President Obama describe his inability to change the current cycle of meaningless gun-violence alone.

I saw the initial reports of Thursday’s college shootings in Oregon on Google News and immediately told a room full of my co-workers. I was struck by how quickly the initial shock and disbelief was followed by shrugs of acceptance.

My co-workers are decent and sensitive people, but when mass killings become so routine, normal people reach a point where they can no longer be surprised — and eventually no longer are outraged.

That is a sad moment for all of us.

Obama, in his slow, dispassionate but powerful speech that evening, emphasized that this is not about Democrats or Republicans, or red or blue states — this is about the value of human lives in this, the most developed and powerful nation on Earth.

He also emphasized that he cannot change this culture by presidential decree — he needs the support of the American people and our elected representatives.

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Powerful speech on guns."