What should we do about gun control?

There is no doubt that gun violence - particularly these mass shootings -- is increasing.   My information here is based in part on Jay Bookman's AJC column, 12/16/12.

"Of the dozen most deadly mass killings in U.S. history, half have occurred in the past five years."   U.S. gun ownership is also highest in history:  300 million guns for a population of 315 million.    Yet, we have NRA-types saying the problem is not too many guns, but not enough guns.   If those elementary school teachers had been armed, they could have taken this guy out.    The same day as the shooting, Michigan's legislature passed a law allowing concealed weapons to be carried into schools.

Is that what we want?    A fully armed society?   Shoot-outs at elementary schools and churches?  A return to the good old days of the frontier Western shoot-out at high noon?

But what is to be done?   With so many guns in circulation, can gun control laws be effective?

In this case, the 20 year old shooter took guns legally owned by his mother, who was herself an experienced shooter who took her children to the firing range to teach them how to shoot.  As to his accuracy:  news reports point out that he killed 27 of the 28 people he shot, leaving only one person alive but wounded.

He was reportedly denied a gun purchase on his own at one store the day before, because he refused to wait for the background check.   So he used his mother's guns . . .  first on her.   Since we have no information on his motive for shooting his mother, could it be that she was trying to stop him from taking the guns, knowing he was unstable? 

No gun law currently in force, or any conceivable additional laws, would have prevented this tragedy.   The laws in place did prevent his purchase, at least at one store;  but it couldn't stop his access to his mother's legally purchased guns.  It's hard to have to admit that, being a staunch advocate for gun control.  But it's the truth.

Hand guns and a rifle were the weapons of choice here.  It's unlikely those will be banned.   But there is a case for banning the sale and ownership of assault rifles and multiple-round handguns that are designed only for killing many people as quickly as possible.   They are not needed for hunters or home defenders.  But that wouldn't have prevented the lawful purchase of these guns by the mother.

What we do need to change, however, is our culture of guns and violence.   It's one thing to restrict ownership to the sane without criminal records, and to require training in the use of firearms.   But how effective can that be, with so many guns already in circulation, with the lax enforcement of laws, combined with loopholes in sales at gun shows that bypass background checks, plus the inability to prevent cases like the present one where he easily obtained legally bought and owned guns of a family member.

Changing our gun culture, or frontier mentality, and our glorifying gun slingers in movies and TV and video games.    Now there's a long range project.   Education must begin early and often -- as has been done to some extent in educating children about environmental concerns.

I don't expect this one to be fixed in my life time;  but I do hope we begin trying to fix it NOW before another such awful massacre occurs.

Ralph