Today not far from where I live a standoff between an armed man and the Princeton police is taking place. At Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County Maryland an armed student was shot dead early this morning.
These two incidents are just a few of many that have been happening of late. What is going on is hard to say as I am not a psychologist or a someone in law enforcement, so there is not a way to be definitive as to the whys. The common thread is a gun, something that we as Americans have a right to bear per the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. And that has been affirmed by the Supreme Court.
The survivors of Stoneman Douglas High School are very actively campaigning for tougher gun laws, they were successful in getting the State of Florida to do just that. Now they are working on the Federal Government to toughen the gun laws so there would be more stringent checks on who was allowed to buy them. Something that sounds reasonable to me, but not to the National Rifle Association.
Many gun owners feel as though that they are the target of activists who want to outlaw guns altogether. Many of the left wing political persuasion do want just that and others who are more moderate in their thinking want tighter control on who can get a gun.
Well guns do seem to be the weapon of choice of many attackers and some have gotten a gun when they should never have been able to do so. What if someone who wanted to kill a lot of people could not get a gun? The answer is pretty simple, a bomb! In Austin Texas that is just what is happening, someone is leaving packages with a bomb inside. The police chief said on Monday, “We now need the community to have extra level of vigilance and pay attention to any suspicious device — whether it be a package or a bag, a backpack — anything that looks out of place. And do not approach items like that.“
So it looks like if you can’t get a gun, a bomb will do. That is the problem, if not a gun then a bomb and if not a bomb then a flammable liquid. In other words if not one weapon then another will do. The lesson here is that there is no viable solution to prevent someone from harming others, that is just why we can never stop people from killing or maiming others through legislation.
What then can be done? My answer is that yes we need better control(s) on who can get their hands on any type of weapon and mental health(care) also badly needs to be addressed. Our society for too long has keep the subject of mental heath in the shadows, it needs to be looked at and our experts on the subject should be listened too. Only then can we make a dent in stopping these insane attacks.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
