No amount of legislation would have prevented the gun violence over the past few weeks. While I'm of the firm opinion there are too many idiots out there with guns and there should be tighter supervision of sales, nothing is gonna prevent a nut from losing his grip. It's easy enough to get a firearm if you really want one, as we've seen in countries with strict gun laws. An assault weapons ban would do little because there are many rifles that can be modified for automatic operation that would avoid the ban. When there's a will, there's a way. I just wish there were more education in their use, and abuse, before someone is allowed to carry. There should be some sort of proficiency requirement.
My biggest fear is that when someone is confronted with a deadly force situation and decides to react, the 'collateral damage' will be worse than the carnage inflicted by the nut. By god, I've seen how the New York City Police shoot, and those guys go through yearly quals. In a shooting incident on the streets of Queens last year, people on the elevated train, 50 feet above, were dodging bullets. I can imagine what somebody who hasn't fired his pistol since he bought it would do. "Look, I got the guy but I killed everybody else too, even some people on the next block."
Also, the right-wing gasbags fomenting revolution don't help either. The talk and scare tactics have been the push needed to put these nuts over the edge and kill everybody in the house. While I'm a staunch defender of the 1st Amendment, there have to be consequences for people who knowingly spread lies and distortion to whip up unrest. It is like yelling "fire" in a movie theater. The NRA also bears major responsibility for their anti-progressive propaganda. This cannot be tolerated and I'm glad to see David Shuster and Rick Sanchez, among others, stand up to these people. We all should, gun owners and opponents alike.
Once you take aim and fire, it's just like an email. You can't get the bullet back. The right to keep and bear is enshrined in our Constitution, but I wish more people would buy guns for their hobbies of target shooting and hunting (and become proficient in their use) instead of as penis extensions. Similar to speaking of dicks, there's always a guy out there with a bigger one.
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