Once again there has been a mass shooting in America. This time by a 64 year old man, retired and well off, with no motive in sight. Nearly 60 people were killed and almost 500 injured as he used automatic weapons to shoot indiscriminately into a crown of concert goers in Las Vegas. Once again he took the easy way out and killed himself prior to being captured, leaving us with nothing but questions into why he had committed this evil deed.
Once again the debate goes out about when will we do something about gun control in this country, which has more guns and gun shootings/murders than any other civilized nation in the world. There are those that say you cannot stop this kind of evil, and it is not the guns causing the problem but the people who commit these events. They say that any government legislation would be unconstitutional because it would go against the all reverent Second Amendment. That sacred amendment that allows all citizens to bear arms.
To them I say that the second amendment was written when this nation was being formed and allowed the citizens of this new founded republic to bear arms against a corrupt government through the means of a measured militia. I believe in that right. I believe that we have a military for that cause and also a civilian auxiliary force caplet of keeping that promise. I do not believe that the founding fathers meant for every man, woman, and child to have a piece of equipment designed for the act of war and the sole purpose of killing each other.
I have no problem with individuals having guns designed for self protection or hunting, but we have opened the door for citizens, both criminal and law abiding alike, to purchase weapons of human destruction with little concern for who and how they are used. Universal background checks won't stop all the possibilities for mass shootings but would be a start. A person needs to renew his/her drivers license but no their gun permit. You need a permit to fish but not to buy a gun. While changes like these to the system will not stop the killings they will surely slow them down.
The place to start though is the gun manufacturers. Seeing that we live in a capitalistic society these companies are all about profits and selling more guns, not less. As with anything in America, you should always follow the money to find the root cause or solution to a problem. I would venture to say that the NRA and its member companies make more guns than any other country in the world. And you would think that selling military grade guns to our military and the militaries of our allies would be enough. It isn't!!! They would like it if everyone was strapped like in the old west. This is their idea of protecting us from each other, while they get rich. The bad news is many of us believe the same thing. I often wonder why and how the idea of every cowboy having a pistol was overcome. Could it be to institute some semblance of law and order.
Again, to repeat, I do not want to eliminate guns, or take away peoples rights to have them for protection, hunting , or enjoyment. I just think we can do it in a more responsible way, thinking about the moral cost instead of the profit. Those manufacturers who I refer to will say they have a legitimate business, and the right to sell as many and whatever kind of weapons they like. They would be right. The tobacco industry said the same thing until society said you are killing people, and we will regulate and control you to try and reduce the killing.
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