Just when I was thinking of selling my T-34

[kandrathe]

If we really want to be serious about making sure kids, moviegoers, shoppers, students, people on the street, aren't being gunned down, we have to start somewhere. And that step needs to be small. A series of enforceable, reasonable, small steps will do much more than gorilla stomping our way through idiocy.

First, I would reject the notion that it is the existence of guns that creates the culture of violence, or that when owned by responsible persons would jeopardize the lives of anyone. Guns happen to be the handiest most convenient instrument designed for killing. All guns when pointed at people are assault weapons.

I would agree that the cosmetics and political cover of banning certain cosmetic designs (military styled) or limiting the size of the magazine would do anything to prevent sociopaths from killing people. Will it be more difficult to carry two 30 round extended clips, or ten 6 round clips? In most cases with semi-automatic pistols, it takes less than 30 seconds to drop out the clip, pop in the next one, and chamber the round.

Our issue as a society is that we seem to be creating more sociopaths and not intervening effectively before they become homicidal.

Then also, Sandyhook or Aurora are incidents that become political lightning rods. I am personally shocked by the tragedy of this event, as my youngest boy attends an elementary school that could be a twin. When I heard about it on the radio, I wept. And, when I told my wife about it later in the day, we wept together.

However, n the context of senseless death, how many people die from drunk driving accidents? About 10,000 per year - or about 30% of all accidental car fatalities. What are we doing about it? Do we license alcohol drinkers? Do you need to show your "not a menace" card to the bartender or liquor store clerk? Do we all need to have mandated Breathalyzer sensors on our ignitions? In fact, statistically, before a person kills with their car -- they are likely to have a prior history of DUI and other visible indicators they are having trouble with alcohol.

If we want to ensure that drunkards, mentally disturbed people, or criminals aren't killing people we need to focus on interventions with the drunkards, mentally disturbed people, and criminals.

But, as for making legally owned guns by the common citizen safer, yes, sure. We don't need to introduce a new government monopoly of control over gun ownership by the hundred million responsible owners. Maybe we just need to get people to be more responsible owners. If a killer breaks into your house, and steals any other weapon (say, a butcher knife) and goes on a massacre, people don't suddenly get up in your grill for leaving your knives right there on the counter in the knife holder.

It is the tyrannical, TSA type, of branding every person a potential homicidal killer to which I object. It results in a police state (if we aren't there already).