Why control guns?

Because of the horrific murder of 27 people in Newtown, CNN. our politicians and legislators and other public officials are now considering how they can control access to guns in a way that will restrict their use in acts of violence. And so various groups of such leaders and educators and parents and religious leaders and those who enjoy having and legally using and selling guns are engaged in wordy discussions and debates regarding various aspects of how limiting access to guns or certain types of guns might restrict their use in acts of violence.

Yet all of these people basically recognize that guns do not kill people; people kill people. And all of these people basically recognize that murder, including that committed by the use of a gun, is against our laws. But it is being argued by some people that banning the access to “assault rifles” and other such automatic weapons and their ammunition might reduce the number of mass murders and violent assaults against groups of people in our society. And another official has said that “the only way of stopping a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”. And so some officials argue for the placing of more “good” guys or gals with guns in places where people gather, particularly in schools where a lot of helpless children are brought together every day. Yet there was an “armed” guard present at the Columbine High School in Colorado when two heavy-armed young guys assaulted the students and their teachers in 1999, and although he was joined by another armed police officer they were not able to stop these two “bad guys” from killing 15 individuals and wounding 23 others before they committed suicide.

How can we control violent assaults in our society?

Our earlier political leaders gave us an amendment to our Constitution that gave all of us citizens “…the right to keep and to bear Arms” (2nd Amendment). And so we have a nation of citizens who are more heavily armed than any other nation in the world, yet we obviously haven’t been able to control the violence that takes place between our citizens. And some people are suggesting that the passing of more laws may keep some people from committing more acts of violence that are already ruled to be illegal.

It is recognized that the mass murder, even that of three or four individuals, is usually done by someone who has a “mental problem“. Yet it is also recognized that in many of these cases the killer was rational enough or “sane” enough to plan and to carry out the assault before it could be prevented. They were able to hide their plans and their thoughts of violence from others who might have been able to change them.

So the challenge is not just simply how can we control access to guns in our society, but how can we control acts of violence against others in our society or ultimately how can we change thoughts and plans for violent acts in the minds of others as we all seek to live safely and legally with each other in our communities. And the acceptable strategies for the “control” of these matters are far from simple.

What do you think about gun control and violence in our society?

So what are your thoughts or recommendations regarding the access to guns that is the constitutional “right” of every citizen? What are some reasonable ways that we might reduce acts of violence in our society? What practical legal steps should be taken to “control” or otherwise reduce thoughts of violence in the minds of some individuals who can’t think of any other way to resolve their feelings of being mistreated by someone else? Let’s talk about this challenging matter.