If Not Now When?

The nation has suffered a near 9/11 emotional loss.  The impact of 20 young children in an elementary school being slaughtered senselessly by insanity carrying guns and assault weapons is, for me, too much to bear.  

 

In my opinion three changes in the gun laws, at the least, should be mandated:

 

1.  Banning of all assault rifles and other military style assault weapons that are more than weaponry used for hunting and are intended only for the taking of massive numbers of innocent human life.

 

2.  Banning high-capacity semi-automatic-weapon magazines such as that used by the shooter in the Arizona rampage critically wounding Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

 

3.  The registration, background checks and waiting periods for ALL gun purchases not only applying to registered gun dealers but also to private gun shows where a gun can now be purchased no questions asked.  

 

It is true not every killer will be stopped by stringent gun laws but we know many will. The Bush administration with Congress allowed the ban that was in force against assault weapons to expire.  The ban and the aforementioned restrictions MUST be reinstated.

 

This shooting should break the camel's back.  If the overrated power of the NRA gun lobby through their massive money buyout of mostly Republican but some Democratic Congressmen too must be shown as the paper tiger it is.  Most in this country approve of sane gun restrictions. This does NOT mean banning the beloved-by-some (not me) Second Amendment but ensuring that the Second Amendment mean something different than it did in 1776.  Our Founders presided over 13 colonies that numbered around 2 million people in a mostly agrarian society.  Our country is comprised now of 50 states numbering about 350 MILLION people.  There are nearly 300 MILLION guns in the nation today -- nearly one gun per person in the US. 

 

The Second Amendment:  A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

 

The first graders of Sandy Brook School hardly fell into the well regulated militia category.  The Founders wanted to prevent the tyranny they had seen and experienced in Europewhere power had all the weaponry and the citizens had none.  They did NOT envision high powered Bushwacker military assault weapons saturating a technologically sophisticated democratic nation and one which is beyond anything they ever could have imagined.  I believe they would be appalled at the tragedy that occurred Friday in Newtown, CT taking the lives of so many innocent children.  

 

I urge you to write your senator, write your representative, write Republican representatives as well and write the president.  Unlike what Press Secretary Jay Carney said now IS the time to make changes in the gun laws.  If not NOW when?