We Are Fools

Jayla Elkins was just 3 years old, too young to appear in internet search results. Too young to die.

Yet there she is atop Google search results stretching to thousands of entries.

And there she is again – one more person, one more child killed by a gun in a nation that values firearms over life. Her father killed her Sunday in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a pistol along with of six of her siblings and a cousin.

Shayla.

Braylon.

Kayla.

Khedarrion.

Layla.

Mar’Kaydon.

Sariahh.

And Jayla.

Jayla’s 31-year-old dad is to blame. Mental health issues and difficulties with his wife proved toxic, according to news reports.

But we share the blame. Connect the dots. It’s easy. The line runs from gun worship to guns in their hundreds of millions to a troubled man with a gun to …

Eight dead children.

We love our guns, so we tolerate consequences measured in blood. We wince at each new death, offer condolences, invoke thoughts or prayers. We may even weep.

We then move on.

We always move on.

Only fools would accept this carnage.