Those who know me are aware of how much I cherish silence. Silence breeds introspection. It fosters observation. It allows for reflection. My personal favorite of silence’s many talents is its ability to enable the gathering of thoughts, the creation of a plan and a strategy before action. I’m not sure about everyone else, but my thoughts are gathered. Now, we no longer have time for silence.

I can’t remember the last week that went by without a shooting, a suicide, a blatant, ringing alarm of the hatred in our world and the mechanisms in place that enable that hatred to manifest in the loss of life and the perpetuation of fear. We broke a record today- “Deadliest Mass Shooting in US History!” This is not a record we should be proud of, and it is not a record we should forget. It is time to wake up.

The motives behind these fatal attacks, whether religiously-inspired, hate-driven, or acts of mental instability, are entirely different conversations. Sadly, these causes are also the most difficult component of the problem to control. We, by all means, should be taking action to quell the reasons one could have for shooting a fellow human being, but controlling one’s thoughts, beliefs, and motivations is a daunting task. Fortunately, there is another piece of the puzzle that is both much easier to address and very tangibly significant. Eliminate the ability.

Eliminate the ability for anyone to act upon these thoughts, beliefs and motivations. Eliminate the ability for one human to take the life of another human. Eliminate the norm of waking up in the United States to a news report of another shooting. We have put in place mechanisms in our society that enable us to regulate for the protection of the greater good and for the safety of the masses. It is time that we call upon those mechanisms.

This is a call to action.

To our lawmakers- make law. Regulate the sale, purchase, and use of the deadly weapons that are creating these devastating headlines and fatal wounds.

To our leaders- choose your words wisely. Rhetoric is your most powerful tool. Words spreading ideas can motivate millions. There is such power in the masses, so it is simply illogical to believe that fueling division is the way to power, growth, and achievement.

To our citizens- stop the hate. I challenge you all to identify a benefit reaped from spreading hateful messages and spiteful actions. Though some of our differences may not be as blatantly visible as the color of our skin or the love in our hearts, I am willing to guarantee that no one is immune to the effects of hate aimed at those who are unlike us.

We no longer have time for silence. Each day we spend thinking about right versus wrong or pondering the motivations behind these events is another 50 people shot, another budding star murdered, or another school plagued with death. My thoughts are gathered. Are yours?