“When will they ever learn…” is the refrain from a Pete Seeger’s classic. He was referring to the senselessness of killing, especially in wars. Today we have senseless killings in movie theaters, high schools, and colleges. What could be safer than a school in Columbine, a college in Virginia, or a movie theater in Aurora?
Yet despite the changes over the past 13 years, Colorado law still prohibits local governments from restricting gun rights in several significant ways. Moreover, gun rights organizations have successfully fought other efforts to restrict access to guns, including blocking a University of Colorado rule prohibiting concealed weapons on campus. Colorado still has some of the least restrictive gun control ?aws in the nation.
When will they ever learn…
When are U. S. citizens going to stand up and say, enough is enough; we want – we demand – gun regulation and control! There is no reason that automatic, assault weapons should be available to almost any willing buyer. There is no reason why just anyone can purchase a gun without having to have a license and register the gun just as we license drivers and register automobiles.
Regulating the manufacture, sale, ownership, and registration of guns is no guarantee that an Aurora incident will never happen again. Nor is it a guarantee that guns won’t be used to murder and to commit crimes. However, it does reduce the sheer number and types of guns available and makes ownership and possession more difficult.
Just as regulation of the automobile industry does not prohibit automobiles from being engaged in crimes or being involved in accidents, it does reduce the incidents. And to steal an automobile is considered a felony. I don’t recall anyone being against the regulation of the automobile industry. Gun enthusiasts hide behind the cover of the 2nd Amendment. They hide behind the rhetoric that control deprives them of their constitutional right to bear arms.
What about the rights of those innocent people to enjoy a movie or attend their classes without being shot and killed? They were deprived of their lives!
When will they ever learn…
To the victims of these senseless massacres, may they not have died in vain. And to their parents, relatives, and friends, I extend to you my deepest sympathies.
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[Dr. Dreyfus is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist, relationship counselor, sex therapist, and life coach in the Santa Monica - Los Angeles. The profits from his latest book, LIVING LIFE FROM THE INSIDE OUT along with his other five books, are being donated to charity through the website Book Royalties for Charity and can be purchased through Amazon.com. Please become a fan on his Facebook Fan Page by indicating "like" on the page by clicking here. You can also find more tools to help you experience a more fulfilling life by clicking here to visit his website.]
Tags: awareness, human connection, life changes, social issues
I agree but how do we affect change?