i was so shocked and saddened to hear about another horrific shooting in america. i’m not sure what it will take to wake up americans to the horror of and uptick in gun violence. the n.r.a. has so frightened politicians that any sort of gun reform is at a standstill. i was disappointed in the supreme court decision regarding weapons in d.c. but not at all surprised.

the gun issue reminds me of the abortion issue in some ways. the similarities include an extreme mindset on the conservative side and a willingness to compromise on the left. i don’t think the left has ever advocated complete restriction on owning guns and yet the right would prefer no limits. these positions are the same in the abortion debate. the difference is that the gun control issue can have a compromise somewhere in the middle whereas abortion cannot. why can’t some compromise be made that will allow america to be safer?

i’m really sickened at the control the nra wields over washington. i think politicians need to stand up to lobbyists and groups such as these and do what is right for america.

there is absolutely no need for someone outside of the military and law enforcement to have an automatic or semi-automatic weapon. none. i suppose gun rights advocates will say that if these women had only had guns themselves they could have defended themselves such as they did after the va tech shooting. it isn’t feasible to carry a gun at all times to protect oneself.

a more intelligent approach would be to limit gun availability, perform comprehensive background checks that are available across state lines and by all gun sales people. it should be mandatory to perform a check and to share that information across a wide spectrum of agencies that would benefit from that information. does this sound like an invasion of privacy as the right so often complains about? to use a palinism…you betcha! i think that an invasion of privacy to weed out those with violent histories and mental issues is absolutely necessary.

i read a blog comment (scroll down to find ‘lautenberg from a reader’) today by a gentleman who was an avid hunter and gun owner. he tells the story of his conviction on misdemeanor child abuse charges after spanking his son with a belt. the son told his school about it and his was taken in by the police. he was represented in court and the charges were eventually reduced from felony to misdemeanor. he is upset now because he wasn’t aware of and his lawyer didn’t make him aware of the lautenberg amendment. [this amendment is a gun ban for individuals convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.] well, here is where ignorance of the law is no excuse. i can’t say that i’m sorry this guy doesn’t have access to guns any longer.

i don’t like guns (if you hadn’t noticed) but i do believe that guns for hunting should be legal. (my views on hunting for sport rather than hunting for food is another story entirely.) i believe that allowing “culling of the herds” should be legal though regulated. this leads to some balance on animals in natured that is now upset by encroachment upon the animal’s natural habitat and the mass killing off of predators that would normally control the population.

i guess i’m rambling again but i just think that strict gun control can go along way to prevent the violence that is pervasive in the u.s. we can’t prevent criminals from getting weapons 100% of the time but if guns aren’t that readily available…it would help!