Connecticut Tragedy

I am still in disbelief over the tragedy in the Connecticut elementary school last week.  I can’t fathom the terror the children and adults must have felt while the gunman prowled the halls.  I don’t know how a parent can survive the heartache and grief of losing a child, especially one as young as those killed at the school.  I do know that this is nothing short of a tragedy, but at the same time I am tremendously thankful for those adults who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the children.  Like all who go in harm’s way to protect human life, they are true heroes and I thank God for them.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, there is a lot of discussion in the media about why it occurred and how it could have been avoided.  As expected, many are focusing on banning guns and gun control.

There are lots of opinions and discussions posted on the web about tighter gun control laws.  Some have blamed the National Rifle Association (NRA) for the tragedy because of the NRA’s advocacy for gun ownership.   A few blogs have even advocated killing NRA members because of the organization’s position on gun control laws.   Do they hear themselves?  They are making threats and advocating violence in these outbursts against a group of people that were not involved. 

A natural response for us is to look at our own lives and wonder if this violence could have happened to us.  Many people want some action taken so they will feel better about their safety.  But that safety is merely an illusion.  When evil people, such as the shooter in Connecticut or the shooter at the mall outside Portland, are determined to cause harm, laws will do little to stop them.  According to an article in the Denver Post, Connecticut has some of the most stringent laws in the US.  The Connecticut shooter stole legally-purchased guns, transported them, and took them into a school, all violations of current Connecticut gun laws.  But do we really think more laws would have stopped him?

Drunk driving is unlawful in every state, yet many still die in drunken driving accidents.  Murder is illegal yet the FBI reported almost 14,000 murders in 2009.  Many drugs are illegal, yet the US Department of Justice’s National Drug Intelligence Center estimates the cost of drug use at $174 billion annually.  Furthermore, the US Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that each year 7 million pounds of marijuana enters the US across the Arizona/Mexico border alone.

Not only do laws not stop people from doing bad things, a total gun ban will not stop bad people from having guns.  If we can’t stop 7 million or more pounds of marijuana from crossing the border, how do we stop the smuggling of weapons, especially if people are willing to pay for them?

Even if guns are not available, a person determined to do harm will find some way to inflict harm.  The same Denver Post issue previously mentioned, also ran a news story concerning four people burned in an attack when the culprits sprayed the victims with a flammable liquid and then set them on fire. 

The solution to ending these tragedies is not more laws, but to educate the population to read the warning signals, to create ways to prevent and treat mental illness, and establish a way to communicate the threat and stop these people before they kill.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected by the shooting tragedies.