And here we go again.

I presume that you are aware that some crazy fool walked into an elementary school in Newtown, CT today and shot 27 people, 18 of them being children.

I have been attacked on Twitter for responding too quickly and being disrespectful to the dead.  Really?  If we don't discuss this NOW, we will forget about it and another tragedy will occur, and then another.  If you want to prevent further tragedies, NOW is the time to think about it.  If you can't discuss this now, then WHEN?

The vast majority of gun owners (at least 99%, any way) are responsible citizens who would never do anything like this (and I am one of them).  However, the idea that we are powerless as a society to prevent mentally unstable people from owning weapons is ridiculous, and will at some point result in the loss of our rights to keep and bear arms.

Don't think so?  Let me ask you a question: if we can license people who own cars so that they may operate them, and require them to be familiar with their proper usage, why can we not do this for weapons, which are normally intentionally lethal?  We, as a society, refuse to allow people to drive if they insist on driving while impaired or are no longer able to properly operate their vehicles.  Why, then, can we not do the same thing for weapons?

While the licensing procedure doesn't eliminate DUIs or Grandpa driving onto the sidewalk and accidentally killing someone, it greatly reduces the occurrences.  There is no rational reason that we as a society cannot set up licensing requirements for weapons owners.  I, as a weapons owner since the age of ELEVEN, do not see how my right to possess a weapon would be infringed.

The National Rifle Association, dear readers, is NOT in business to protect the rights of weapons owners.  It is in the business to remove any and all obstacles to weapons manufacturers being able to sell their wares to everyone, no matter what age.  This is why they have gone far beyond what they once did, just to promote shooting sports and gun safety, which in and of itself is not a bad thing.  My father, who was a part-time gunsmith when we lived in Northeast Arkansas, was a member until he noticed how crazy they were getting.

We MUST, as a society, take more steps to insure that mentally ill people get the help they need, no matter the cost, and we must take steps to insure that they do NOT have access to weaponry.  While we will never completely eliminate this problem, there is no rational reason we cannot reduce the likelihood of re-occurrence.

Hell, I don't know what to say, either

The madness that struck the Virginia Tech campus this morning is beyond anything that I can comprehend at the moment. Rick's made some good points, but he misses the essential point: We're about 230 years too late to ban guns in this country, they are too infused in our culture. If you tried to ban them, there would be a revolution; frankly, after 7 years of George W. Bush, I'm not ready to get rid of them, either.

On the other hand, the other extreme is beyond ludicrous, it's NUTS: EVERYONE should pack heat, as if that would have stopped that worthless bastard/tormented soul that decided today was a good day for EVERYBODY to die. The only people who would be happy for required ownerwship are the soulless monsters of the NRA, who represent gun MANFUACTURERS, not gun OWNERS,. All they want is for the gun manufacters to sell completely automatic weapons to everyone from age 10 up.

The whole point of today is that, when someone goes nuts, we are ALL vulnerable, and there's not really a damn thing we can do about it, and we say these nutty things because we are scared shitless. Look, those of you who own weapons, as I do, remember this: if someone wants to kill you, they'll find a way to do, and if they're smart enough, you're done.

On the other hand, I am not for registration, but I DO believe that, like driving a car, gun ownership has its responsibilities, like owning insurance and taking a test and getting a license to prove you know what the hell you're doing with a weapon. Hell, I'd even be in favor of using a NRA gun safety course and test, it's about the only thing they do that actually helps humanity.

Now, what we all need, even me, is a good dose of STFU; let's mourn and grieve for these students and educators who died far too young because some damaged soul snapped. They and their families, as well as the whole VPI Campus, need our prayers and our love right now, and that's where our focus should be placed.