[guest post by Dana]

That these tragedies happened inside of a week only reinforces my sense of disbelief; that innocuous behavior resulted in gun injury or death is stunning. Something is very wrong:

In the span of six days, four young people across the U.S. have been shot — one fatally — for making one of the most ordinary and unavoidable mistakes in everyday life: showing up at the wrong place.

A man shot and wounded two cheerleaders outside a Texas supermarket early Tuesday after one of them said she mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her own.

A group looking for a friend’s house in upstate New York arrived in the wrong driveway only for one of them to be shot to death Saturday night, authorities said.

In Missouri last Thursday, a Kansas City teen was shot twice after going to the wrong home to pick up his younger brothers, raising questions about the state’s “stand your ground law” and heightening racial tensions. [A person may, subject to the provisions of subsection 2 of this section, use physical force upon another person when and to the extent he or she reasonably believes such force to be necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful force by such other person. The law also says: A person does not have a duty to retreat … From a dwelling, residence, or vehicle where the person is not unlawfully entering or unlawfully remaining.]

And just last night:

A North Carolina man allegedly shot a 6-year-old girl, her parents and an additional neighbor after a basketball rolled into his yard…Neighbors told ABC News’ Charlotte affiliate WSOC that the shooting began after a basketball rolled into Singletary’s yard from a group of local children playing basketball in the street. Singletary allegedly fired a gun at a neighbor before approaching a father and son — William and 6-year-old Kinsley White. Both were transported to a local area hospital for treatment…Family members say William White tried to draw gunfire towards himself to protect his family as Singletary unloaded an entire magazine toward his neighbor. White was shot in the back in his own front yard.

Surely we can all agree that, no matter where you fall on the issue of guns (gun control/gun advocacy), these shootings are not normal reactions to normal people doing ordinary things. (The Missouri shooting is a bit different as it may be found to have been justified under state law.)

I am reminded of this truth:

The answer to the “why” of these atrocities is frustratingly simple: As long as people with hate in their hearts have easy access to powerful and deadly weapons, the massacres will continue.

Obviously, we can and should do more to limit tragedies like these from happening, wherever and whenever possible.

–Dana