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.

Nothing in the full amendment guarantees "the right to bear arms". Instead, that right is protected under specific circumstances. Namely, under the assumption that the safety of this Nation is dependent upon civilians forming militias. In 1776, that was true. It has not been true since the United States created its own standing armed forces. The RED DAWN mentality is pure fantasy. As I am sure Clint Ludwick can confirm, if an invading enemy force actually reduced our military forces to such a state that a civilian response was necessary, the game would be over, and we would have lost.

The idea that guns are needed for "home protection" is equally ludicrous. There is no way to demonstrate statistically that such "protection" is truly a factor. Cases where homeowners have defended themselves against home invasion are quickly cancelled out by those in which the homeowner (and his family) finds his own gun being used against him. Elaborate security measures, needed to make sure such guns are "safe", render the argument even more ridiculous. Home invaders are not going to wait politely while the gun owner fetches his weapon from the gun-safe, or removes the trigger guard. (And it it is quick and easy to do these things, how "safe" is the gun?)

The number of actually recorded, provable cases in which a gun in the home has been a valid protection against invaders also has to get around the number of dead children our free and easy access to guns creates on a yearly basis.

Once again, it comes back to the question I ask whenever a situation like this occurs: how many dead kids are too many?

I'm a teacher. My wife is a kindergarten teacher. I have a one and a half year old little girl who I love more than anything. This whole thing is so sad that I can't stop thinking about it especially since they are out of town right now.

We also have to do more for the mentally ill in this country outside of give them a drug and tell them to come back next time if there's a problem. These aren't diabolical madmen doing these acts. These are mentally sick people that society is pushing off to the side.

••

It is an unfortunate statistical fact that Africa and South America claim the nations with the highest per capita deaths by guns. Per 100,000 population, the US clocks in around 12th on a global listing. El Salvador has more than 5 times a many deaths, Brazil more than twice as many.

On the other hand, Canada has half as many deaths as the United States (with 10th of the population), while France has a third. Japan, with its "violent culture" has a tiny fraction of the number of deaths per 100,000 to be found in the US.

No part of which serves in any way to restore the lives of these most recently murdered men, women and children.

••

When Obama was nominated for the highest office in this country, this "joke" began circulating:

St. Peter: Name?

Obama: Barack Obama.

St. Peter: Greatest accomplishment?

Obama: I was elected the first Black president of the United States.

St. Peter: Oh? When did that happen?

Obama: About twenty minutes ago.

Nothing could make that come closer to being a reality than Obama attempting to do the sane, rational, humane thing, and getting the guns out of civilian hands.

  If certain types of guns were outlawed, how would the government safely collect the weapons? Seems like there would be a lot of violent standoffs between gun nuts and the police.

  Something should be done, but its hard to see how it could be accomplished. Just banning future sales would be shutting the barn door after the horses were already out.