just another tired person

I wish we had a better world

     Another school shooting to ponder.  New nightmares for parents who thought their children were safe in a college setting.
     I can here the rhetoric now.  Guns don't kill people.  If they would only enforce the laws we have.  If everyone had a gun this wouldn't happen.
     Critics of gun laws point to Chicago and say they had a tough gun law and it didn't stop the shootings.
     That's because people don't always obey the law.
     Gun laws are not consistent from state to state.  The Chicago Tribune had a series on guns where they documented Chicago residents going to gun shows in Indiana and loading up a duffel bag of weapons.  Those weapons then come back into the city with tough gun laws and get sold, to people who don't obey the law.
     And all we can do as a society is throw our hands up in the air and say, "What else can we do?"
     The second amendment states that in order to maintain a well regulated militia, the rights of the citizens to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
     We seem to lose focus on the first part of the amendment, the reason for the amendment:  to maintain a well regulated militia.  Not to shoot down innocent people in classrooms or street corners.      I'm not smart enough to know the answer.
But I think it starts with a consistent set of laws.  All guns must be purchased from a licensed dealer.    All sales must be registered.  Buyers have a limit on the number of guns they can buy in a 12 month period.  Seven day waiting periods on all purchases.  All buyers must possess a valid firearm owners card.
     And yes, the laws need to be changed to put harsher penalties for crimes committed with a gun.      Add 20 years to a sentence for using a weapon.  Don't allow plea bargains, parole or probation for firearm offenses.    
      We also need to look at the mental health of people.  Someone who goes into a room to kill innocent people is not sane.  We need to identify those people and treat them before they harm innocent people.
     I read that this guy had a social media account where he announced he was going to do some shooting....and his "friends" encouraged him, even egged him on.  I think every one of those people should have to dig the graves and confront the parents of today's victims.
     And we need to look at ourselves.  We seem to cultivate the notion of violence.  It's in video games, in the movies, in ultimate fighting bouts, and even in hockey games, where fans stand on their feet and cheer when people begin to beat each other.
     Violence begets violence.  You see it enough and you begin to accept it as a way of life, as the answer to your problems, as a way to get noticed.
     Something has to change.