Here we go again...

So sad... so unbelievable! How can someone even consider killing innocent children? It is truly mind-boggling! How can we stop this from happening? Could stricter gun controls help? Could better mental health care help? Could better parenting help? Could more spirituality help? These are the questions I ask myself. How can we prevent something this terrible from happening again? What are the answers?

I personally feel that we must do something to prevent criminals, mentally ill people, and even outstanding citizens from acquiring guns so easily, especially automatic or semi-automatic weapons with the capacity of killing many innocent people in a matter of minutes. Why does anyone need such powerful assault weapons? Studies have shown that usually people that own guns end up hurting themselves, or hurting loved ones. We must give this topic serious thought and start coming up with better ideas and better solutions. I feel that we should follow the example of Great Britain, where they have much stricter gun controls.

According to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10220974:

"The UK has some of the toughest gun control laws in the world. If you want to own a gun, it is very difficult to do so. In short, it has been designed to put as many barriers in the way as possible and to assume the worst, rather than hope for the best. In the United States, you can declare that it is your constitutional right to bear arms. But in the UK, you need to spend hours filling in paperwork and proving to police officers that you are not a danger to society. The system is administered by police forces in each part of the UK and in England, Scotland and Wales there are separate licences for shotguns and for other firearms.

Getting a licence is a long and complicated business. Every stage of the process is designed to reduce the likelihood of a gun falling into the wrong hands. It starts with an application form which asks specific questions about why the individual wants a gun, telling them they need to show 'good reason.' The criteria are tougher for firearms than shotguns because weapons that fire bullets must only be used for specific purposes in specific places. These would include deer stalking or sports shooting on an approved range. In contrast, shotguns tend to be used in more general rural circumstances, such as by farmers who are protecting livestock from foxes - and police recognize that landowners need guns for pest control.

Independent referees provide confidential character statements in which they are expected to answer in detail about the applicant's mental state, home life and attitude towards guns. Officers check the Police National Computer for a criminal record and they speak to the applicant's GP for evidence of alcoholism, drug abuse or signs of personality disorder. Social services can also be asked for reasons to turn down an applicant. Finally, senior officers must be sure that prospective shotgun holders have a secure location for the weapon, typically a dedicated gun cabinet. Each certificate is valid for five years.

The two most important laws came in the wake of two national tragedies. Michael Ryan's massacre of 16 people in Hungerford in 1987 led to the banning of all modern semi-automatic rifles, the range of guns that can be fired rapidly without needing to be reloaded. Nine years later, Thomas Hamilton killed 16 schoolchildren and their teacher when he opened fire at a school in Dunblane. Parliament banned all handguns and there is now a mandatory five-year jail sentence for possession.

Since then, we have seen moves against criminal conversion of imitation firearms - a tactic used by backstreet engineers working for gangs."

So, even though nothing is completely foolproof, I do feel that stricter gun controls would help, it has helped in the UK. Of course another issue is how to better help mentally ill people. Our present mental health care system is obviously not working well. So many people don't get proper care, especially when they need it the most, and the young are even more vulnerable. There's a lot to discuss and consider to make this country a safer one. We must put more pressure on our government and our legislators to make something happen! We cannot give up...