My son’s death was unavoidable. Not so with Parkland victims

My son died on Valentine’s Day too, in 1985. He was 16 months and one day old. He had multiple congenital heart defects and though we and the doctors at Yale New Haven Hospital tirelessly fought for his life, his fate was decided by hands far greater than our own.

His funeral was the largest I had ever been to. In acts of kindness, the funeral home donated their services and the casket, which was white and less than 3 feet long. The synagogue donated the plot where he was buried, in a separate section of the cemetery reserved for very young children.

When people came to visit us to express their sorrow, they were often themselves brokenhearted. In the weeks and months that followed we received numerous letters and donation notifications in the mail. We still have the letters, many of which were from people who we didn’t even know, who were so distraught about the death of a small child that they felt compelled to write. We received books and thoughtful suggestions. Nothing really helps, other than the passage of time.

We were blessed with two more sons. In July, 1997 we moved to Florida. At the advice of our good friends, who lost their own daughter in a tragic car accident at age 10, we moved to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s zone, because of Douglas’ reputation for excellence.

Our boys entered Douglas as little kids and graduated as young adults, with the education, maturity, social skills and self-confidence to fly like eagles and have grown to be successful, independent and productive citizens.

My son’s death was unavoidable. Not so with Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Sandy Hook, Pulse, and the list goes on and on.

I understand why the Framers put in the Second Amendment. Citizens have the right to own guns for self-protection, recreation and hunting. Madison, Jefferson and Adams, et al., couldn’t have envisioned assault rifles when they wrote the Constitution. Back then you had to wait to “see the whites of their eyes” before firing at an enemy. An AR-15 can kill a student through a closed door or pick off a concert goer from a perch 300 feet high and 1,000 feet away.

If NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch is such a strong believer in the Constitution as written in 1787, then she shouldn’t vote since that right that wasn’t granted until 1920.

I grieve for the parents, siblings, extended family and friends of those killed and injured in this senseless massacre. Nothing can ever replace the lives that were lost, or fully heal the physical and mental scars that will last lifetimes. We must bring about change through continued pressure on our legislators to act to ensure this kind of tragedy doesn’t happen again. No parent should ever have to bury his or her child. It’s not the natural order of things. This is why I marched. #MSDStrong

Michael Merlob is a consulting actuary living in Coral Springs. A proud father of two eagles, he graduated the Bronx High School of Science at age 16.