Gun Violence & Gun Control

This is a rare serious post which only happens about twice a year, so if you want to read something more humorous or, well, random, stay tuned for whatever I write tomorrow.

The two major news events over the past few days have been the shooting of a TSA agent at LAX airport and the chaos at a New Jersey mall where a gunman fired shots before committing suicide. This is only a several weeks after 12 people were killed at the D.C. Navy Yard. At what point do we as a country say that's enough? After Columbine, Virginia Tech or Newtown, you would think something would happen. Yet, any local newscast seems to include at least one story about someone getting shot, and there seems to be no indication that Congress or the President will push for any type of gun legislation.

Before you accuse me of being a liberal, which may be true, or claim that I'm being naïve, I should share some background. My school district growing up had the Monday after Thanksgiving as a holiday for the first day of hunting season. My high school also had a rifle team that was one of the best in Pennsylvania. Of course, there was also a shooting at my high school during my senior year. What could have had a major impact in my life is simply a footnote and something that I tell people about when they say that they went to a rough high school.

Basically, I'm not for taking people's guns. If you want a gun for self-defense or hunting, fine. (Now the type of weapons may be a different conversation.) However, I believe that we should have a gun registry and definitely background checks. It seems silly to me that you need a license to drive a car (which I support) but you don't need one to own a gun.

I should also mention that I pass the NRA headquarters almost everyday. The NRA really could be a leader in proposing legislation to help curb gun violence, but that will never happen.

I don't really have a conclusion, so I guess I'll just stop here. Um, go Steelers!