I told myself I would hold off saying anything political about the massacre in Aurora for at least a week. I didn't want to be divisive. And I wanted us united as a country. I think, from what I've seen it happened, if only for a moment. The presidential candidates both mourned, their focus on the victims, not each other, the hospitals treated victims without cost and Christian Bale himself came to see the victims.
But, now, I must say what I've held back saying. A killer was able to buy three weapons in a short span of time as well as an unprecedented amount of ammunition. That there were no red flags attached to the purchase of these or the body armor is astounding. Believe me, I have no problem with people defending themselves. But it is insane how little protection the law offers. If everyone had had a gun and their concealed carry license in the theater the outcome would have been no less worse. An automatic weapon that fires a hundred rounds a minute, will not be easily stopped by a large group of unaware citizens. Especially in a dark location.
The federal assault weapons ban should never have lapsed. Let people have all the handguns they want. These are logical tools to defend themselves. An assault weapon's only purpose is for murder; in the military, on the streets and in Aurora.
That concludes this afternoon's rant.
Ben this is a hard subject for me...I am a gun owner, have owned assault rifles, and enjoyed firing them. I am not a hunter, I just enjoy shooting. I for one would have no problems with a background check, or waiting period for any firearm...but I also don't think banning weapons will solve issues like this. People like this sick fuck will find a way of imposing their will on people weather it be by using guns, or explosives or some other way of killing. The thing I see at issue here is less the guns, and more mental health. The death toll could have reached hundreds if the chemical weapons and explosives this sick man created had detonated.
ReplyDeleteThe weapon used was created to kill, all guns are created to kill. The thing I fear about things like this are that people will be so concerned with the gun that the fact that the murders would not have happened without the mind behind the trigger finger...he was the boogeyman.
I agree, our mental health system is as equally atrocious to me as any problems with guns. But I do think we make it too easy for insane people to get weapons of such power. Perhaps a sanity evaluation, every couple of months for people with automatic rifles?
DeleteWe're so hard on people with the slightest issue of a motor vehicle being wrong. Maybe we should make sure people are capable and responsible to the same level as we do drivers.
DeleteStrong points sir, while I agree with you I do have to point out that the weapon used was a semiautomatic not an auto...the difference being a semi has to be individually triggered per round
DeleteI don't know what the solution is. If the assault weapons are banned then criminals will be the only ones that have them. But, at least they would be extremely hard for lunatics without criminal records to get. I do agree that alarm bells should go off when someone makes the purchase this man made. I think there should be some kind of alert system.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like criminals are the only ones with them anyway, though at the moment they're attacking. No one's going to secure carry an automatic rifle with them everywhere in case a nutjob attacks. It's just kind of impractical, unless you're the killer.
DeleteI agree that people aren't going to carry an assault weapon in case of an attack but I don't agree that criminals are the only ones with them. This latest attack and the attack at VA Tech were by students with no criminal background.
ReplyDeleteThat's true :-)
DeleteI'm rather impressed with Mr. Bale. I think it was good of him to visit the victims. I almost am forced to rethink my strange dislike of him.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny. I used to strangely dislike him too!
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