I can understand if last week’s many acts of violence here in Uniondale have you disturbed more than a little bit. You may be afraid that violence is no longer something that happens to other people. You’re probably thinking about ways to keep you and your family safe. You might even be tempted to look for some kind of weapon so you can at least defend yourself. You may resolve that you would never use it against anyone, but you would feel safer if you had one. You may think you know yourself well enough never to use it.

Strange things happen in the heat of argument or when in fear. I urge you, do not follow the temptation. If one Long Island man had resisted, two specific Long Island families would have avoided a tremendous amount of suffering. Of course, I’m thinking about the White and the Cicciaro families.

Violent people will continue to be violent whether you have a gun in your house or not. The only thing having a gun in the house will do is increase the risk that you or someone else might one day feel compelled to use it. We cannot change the people around us - unless they let us. We can only change ourselves.

In my opinion, the best thing we can do is to get rid of any weapons in our houses. The second best thing we can do is to prevent someone from taking the violent path. Invite someone to your house of worship this week. Teach them the value of peace and prosperity won the hard way.