You Cant Legislate Morality

During the last few days I watched with horror as details unfold on the massacre at a movie theater in Aurora Colorado.  As expected,  the debates over gun control began immediately.  When Press Secretary James Brady was shot and paralyzed after the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan's life, he began campaigning for stricter gun control over handguns which eventually led to The Brady Bill.  The Brady Bill calls for education and legislation to govern who can purchase guns.  In the most basic of terms, this means that in if someone wants to buy a gun they need to  undergo a background check to confirm that there is no criminal record or history of mental illness.  This sounds like good preventative measures, however, the shooter at the Aurora Colorado theater had tear gas, handguns, assault rifles, and had purchased 6000 rounds of ammunition and all of this was obtained legally.  If our tracking system was working properly then why is it that someone who purchased multiple assault rifles plus 6000 rounds of ammunition didn't raise a flaming red flag?

In my younger years, I lived in Asia where there are strict gun laws.  What I witnessed is that  gun control doesn't eliminate violence or violent death at the hands of someone with ill intent.  If someone can't get a gun, then they will simply find different weapons and the result is just as ugly.

The saying that 'Guns don't kill people, people kill people.' is true.  Proponents of gun control live under the illusion that taking guns out of the hands of common citizens will eliminate violence but it won't. As hard as we try, we will never be able to legislate compassion, morality, integrity,  or ethics to prevent things like this from happening. Unfortunately, the actions of many people today prove that the basic respect for life is eroding throughout America. Thirty years ago the news was violent and our television shows were entertaining but today the television shows are violent and the news reports are entertaining.   This, in and of itself, makes a statement about the American attitude.

This country is in a bad place right now but a country is only as good as it's people. Although we need a better tracking system for gun purchases, and assault weapons should be severely restricted, Gun control is not the answer.  America needs to take a hard look at our society today and they will see that the problem goes much deeper.