First I am not dismissing the deaths of the brave teachers and administrators at Sandy Hook on Friday. I will speak of them in another post. I want everyone to remember the numbers 20, 6 and 7, just as they remember 9-11. This represents the twenty, six and seven year old babies, who were brutally killed. We must remember and fight to save other children in America.
There is no easy solutions to this problem of violence that has escalated in our country. It will take many different approaches to stop the senseless murders that occur in mass or individually everyday in America. We must start with common sense and easiest point. Eliminate assault type weapons and multiple load clips. The second amendment is not absolute. It gives citizens the right to bear arms. It does not give them the right to have weapons of mass destruction and that is what these are. People that say we are infringing on their rights to target practice or hunt, need to take a hard look at exactly what these weapons do. My Grandfather was a hunter. He never carried an assault weapon. The idea was to bring down a deer and have the meat, not destroy it beyond recognition. Assault weapons and multiple magazine bans would not violate the second amendment rights and would be a beginning step in the process to cutting back on violence in our society.
Education is always a starting point. Education in safety of guns and ammunition will help. Education so people can get better jobs and feel good about themselves will help. Education on the way we treat and react to each other in society will help. Education on appropriate video games for children and society as a whole will help. Education on the fact that needless and wanton killings and maiming in movies will help. Lastly education on how to help and treat people with mental illnesses will help. It is a process. One without easy and quick fixes, but one that will move us in the right direction.
Funding for programs to treat and help the people among us that need and seek help for mental illness is essential. We have reduced the money that is there to give treatments to those in need. We spend enormous sums of money on wars and violence, now it is time to spend that money on healing. Funding for education, not just weapon safety but general education to allow our intellect to grow to the point when we reject violence as a way of life.
We need to look at the movie and gaming industry. The proliferation of violence DOES have a effect by desensitizing us to violence, murder and mayhem. What does not effect me does effect others that are sensitive and vulnerable to these images. I know theses industries make a lot of money off of the violence in this media, but we must be aware that it is affecting us as a country and look to tone it down. I admit to watching many of these types of movies over the years, but can I live without them. Absolutely.
Lastly gun control laws and enforcement of the current laws. We have to close loop holes and strengthen our laws. We must make gun owners responsible, even if their weapons are stolen and used by someone else. We must make gun and ammunitions manufacturers responsible to destruction their products do on our nation's people. They have to share in the blame if they make products that destroy. Currently they are not. They would join in the effort to make guns less available and less destructive, if they had a stake in the process, beyond making money off of the deaths of human beings.
I heard a quote by Abraham Lincoln this morning on "Morning Joe". Joe Scarborough, gave a wonderful opinion on this issues and used a longer quote from Lincoln. I am just going to use the end of it. Said Lincoln, " If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher." If we do not take the mantle of responsibility onto ourselves and change the violent direction of America we all are to blame for her demise.
