OK, I'm going to post this and not worry about who agrees with me. I feel strongly about it. This is a comment I wrote on Facebook on a friend's status on the day of the Newtown tragedy. It's not very eloquent, but it's what I feel.
I
just don't understand the strength of some people's resistance to gun
control. I am ok with people owning guns, but I think it should be
harder to get one. I also think that assault weapons should be
restricted a LOT. Like to the military and that's about it. There is
no reason an average private citizen needs one of those. A hunting
rifle, sure. A handgun, ok in some situations. But something that is
loaded in ROUNDS rather than single bullets has no purpose but to hit
and kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time - not even
skill in shooting required.
Sure,
people will find ways of getting guns illegally, but if it's harder to
get one there won't be nearly as many of them out there to be gotten.
Just think how much less damage that Batman lunatic could have done if
he'd been using a handgun instead. Even two-fisting it, he could not
have killed as many people. Reloading takes more time, a person shot
with a single bullet probably has a better chance of survival than one
who is sprayed with many of them, and the time between shots would mean
more time for hitting the deck.
I
also think the issue of mental illness is the humongous elephant in the
room every time a shooting like this happens. We haven't done anything
about our gun policies, but at least we bother arguing vociferously
about them for a few days afterwards. Almost every shooting like this
involves known or suspected mental illness in the shooter. Sometimes
the idea of mental health screenings for gun owners is tossed around,
but you don't hear much talk about getting to the root of the problem.
Why was this mentally ill person not getting treatment? Even when no
violence results, untreated mental illness can cause a lot of tragedy
and anguish, and we just ignore it.
So the usual steps are as follows:
1. Terrible shooting occurs.
2. People argue about guns.
3. No legislation or changes in policy occur.
4. Some time passes.
5. Another shooting occurs.
6. Rinse and repeat.
I
probably sound cynical, but I really find this and other recent
shootings, as well as the usual succession of events that follows,
incredibly sad and frustrating. We could do something about it and we
don't. And what am *I* doing about it? Just the same as everybody
else, so I am no better. I feel entirely helpless and 20 children who
were alive first thing this morning are now dead.
