The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary is easily one of the worst tragedies of my lifetime. It has led to many questions that haven’t been answered and probably never will.
What could motivate a man to shoot innocent children? How on Earth could he pull the trigger when he’s sighted in on a child? These are the kinds of questions that have fueled debates on every major news network. I don’t claim to have an answer that can cover everything that’s been asked, but I can help clear up some of the issues regarding guns and give my two cents.
Back in my junior year of high school I decided that I really wanted to go hunting. Since none of my immediate family members hunt, I got more than a few odd looks. But they supported me and helped me enroll in the hunter’s safety course.
The classes were held over one weekend with a combined total of 17 hours of class time. We were taught the parts of the gun, how to handle a gun, where to hunt, how to make sure a shot is a safe shot, and all sorts of other valuable safety tips.
Once I had my certification to buy a hunting license, I went to Dunham’s with my dad so I could buy my own rifle. I walked back to the hunting section and realized just how many different rifles and shotguns are available to the public.
My mom loves deer so I can’t kill any until I’m on my own. I decided to look for a good .22 rifle. A .22 is a very small caliber rifle that is used to kill mostly vermin like squirrels and groundhogs.
I ended up looking through the massive catalog they had and ordered a Savage Mark 2 bolt-action rifle. You can only legally hunt with a bolt action rifle, a semi automatic would lead to a “spray and pray” mentality since it would be so easy to unload an entire magazine. The bolt-action forces you to pick shots wisely and only shoot when you feel like the shot will be a kill.
As I was checking out I saw what appeared to be AK-47 rifles stocked on the shelves and asked the employee how they can sell assault weapons. As it turns out many of the “assault” weapons we see on sale are only assault weapons in an aesthetic sense.
The guts of the rifle have been reworked so they aren’t automatic and they shoot a smaller caliber than their wartime counterparts. They are generally semi automatic so they would only be good for target shooting. Some still come with a banana-style magazine, which can generally hold up to 30 rounds.
I find it ridiculous that these are sold to the general public. While hunting or at a range, you are only allowed to have five bullets in your rifle at any time. The gun itself has no malicious feelings towards society, yet we offer the tools of destruction to the sociopaths who do.
That’s all a gun is though, just another tool. It doesn’t do us any good to fear them and demand that they all get destroyed after a tragedy like Sandy Hook. Instead, we should learn about them and realize that the gun is only as dangerous as the person holding it.
I believe the reason any of these mass shootings happen is because these people need psychiatric help but can’t get it or the help is ineffective.
Although it won’t completely fix the issue, I believe that everyone who wants to own a gun should have to go through the safety course I went through. Having to sit through a 17-hour course will deter people who want a gun because they think it’s just a high-powered toy. Plus it will guarantee that the people who own the gun know its mechanics and the dangers that can be present if the gun is handled improperly.
We don’t need to arm the public with guns to defend against another mass shooting; we need to arm them with knowledge.
Editor's Note: The writer is the son of Pine-Richland Patch Editor Cindy Cusic Micco.
Section 21 . Right to Bear Arms The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned. That is from the Pa State Constitution. OUCH!!!! You will either have to amend it or move. ....Or maybe that is out of context as well? My God!!! a conspiracy? From Merriam-Webster [known right wing nut jobs]: arm noun, often attributive Definition of ARM a: a means (as a weapon) of offense or defense; especially: firearm
That's RICH! LOL
You are just too smart for me.
The knee-jerk reaction of so many districts to add armed guards makes for great PR and political rhetoric. But, effectiveness, ... well, others have shown this path to be ineffective.
Sorry but you can't blame school shootings on just this generation. Consider this history: It should be noted that the following list is mostly derived from the archives of the New York Times news articles, where prior to 1950's, very little information was reported from the Mid West and the West Coast. Although accurate in the actual accounts noted below, this list is most likely incomplete, devoid of any incidences west of the Mississippi River prior to the mid 1900's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States
And when did Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" begin? The beginnings of the Nanny State, the end of the draft, the great shift away from personal responsibility were factors that lead to today's Little Johnny who we never wish to diminish his self esteem. Of course Little Johnny gets out of the protective cocoon of high school and finds out, hey, its a tough world out here. That could explain the lone shooters who think its cool to shoot up Victim Disarmament Zones. Did you ever note they rarely attack police stations or military facilities, or other well guarded (by force of arms) places? The overarching problem here is not so much the rare school shooting, but rather the particular socio-economic sub stratum that have grown up in a society with no strong male father figure, no incentive to work, and few consequences for their actions. Chicago had 500 firearm murders in 2012. That in a city that is noted for its most draconian gun laws. The teens who turn to drugs and gangs are obviously not impressed with, nor inclined to, obey the gun laws. There is, in my never humble opinion, a direct correlation between the hopelesness brought on by generations of public assistance, and cold blooded murders in the big city. (continued--)
Do you really think Obama, Biden, or for that matter anyone in Government is going to point their collective finger at the Governments own Frankenstein Monster? Do you see an admission, in your lifetime, that generations of folks living off the dole, often in horrid conditions associated with ghetto living created by the Government, are the real issue? In the end, call it gun control, or just control, or people control, gun laws are racism in its most evil form. Picture yourself as a law abiding inner city resident afraid to walk to the local grocery store, especially after dark, because YOU are lawful and don't own a firearm for your own defense, but children--15, 16, 17 years of age have no regard for the law, or for life itself. What have we, as a Nation, created? Its most certainly generational. Reinstate the draft, and put those who commit crimes with firearms into the deepest recesses of our jails and prisons for a long, long time. Until we teach inner discipline, and instill a sense of responsibility for one's actions, don't look for the gun issue to go away. Politicians like to be voted back into office. Addressing the real problem gets them labeled racists, and their political careers are history.
Here, here!!! At the time, Great Society programs seemed very logical, and iniquitous. I think I am in a large majority that never saw the unintended consequences of LBJ's program. Many of us that supported the program fully at the time, now understand what has happened. I am no historian. I have no great insight into societal behaviors. I was never deeply involved with these programs personally. However, in my short hindsight, Great Society sparked a major change in culture, society, personal achievement, work ethic, and the citizen's view of big government. Someday, the writers of history will be able to piece together the changes instituted by Great Society, and the impact. Even in the short time since implementation, and the age of some of us, the patterns are emerging pretty clearly. More time is needed. But, your comment regarding the fulcrum is dead on target, ... at least from my vantage point behind the thick post. You have taken the discussion in the gun violence direction. But, there are a myriad of directions to go with the significance of the GS event.
Thanks for the affirmation. I'm retired from the Air Force, did a year in theatre, but not in country during Vietnam, returning to the States in 1974--in civilian clothing with strict orders not to engage in protesters or other ne'er do wells unless absolutely necessary to defend myself. Obviously, with our short haircuts, we stuck out like a sore thumb at San Francisco airport, and believe it or not, the protesters were there to greet every airplane. I never raised a fist, but often wished I had. You commented that I've taken this towards the gun violence end of the argument. I should tell you that I am an ardent supporter of the individual right to keep and bear arms, a member of two pro-gun PACS, a frequent traveler to Harrisburg. Gun violence is, in my opinion, nearly 100% an issue with the lawless, not with the law abiding.
Most responsible gun owners do not wave around an instrument of death to feel like a man. I know of no one that waves around an "instrument of death," and I've been around guns all my life. Mark A is off his rocker.
A 17 hour course is certainly better than no course, for sure! But those who are so interested in arming school personnel (and those who are not in favor of such) may profit from viewing this: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/defend-gun-7312540
Like Richard Bauhammers of Mt. Lebanon? George Sodini of Scott Twp? Richard Poplowski of Stanton Heights?: No, this kind of mental sickness behavior does not occur only in low income areas. And FTR, many in those low income areas you point at are not "living off the system", they are working people. Lots of prejudice showing here.