People Kill, Not Guns

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/15/fatal-schoolhouse-shootings-in-connecticut-renew-gun-control-debate/

The horrific events that happened this past Friday will stay in our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives.  We cannot deny the impact this has had on all of us and the necessary legislative reform that must occur as a result.  However, we cannot jump straight to irrational solutions of gun control.  The government will not and cannot amend the second amendment to illegalize firearms.  According to the FBI, there are about 270,000,000 guns owned by private citizens in the United States; 88.8 firearms per 100 people.  America is number one for guns per capita in the world.  The media has been saying that the president will try to reinstitute the assault rifles ban which expired in 2004.  History has shown that this ban did little in preventing gun violence.  In the ten year life of this ban, from 1994 to 2004, 17 mass shootings occurred; including Columbine, 1999.  Currently, assault rifles account for only 2-6% of this country's violent crimes.  Rather then placing the blame solely on the lack of gun control, we should focus our efforts to target those with a mental illness and preventing them from obtaining firearms.  A study held by Mother Jones Magazine  found that 38 of the past 61 mass shooters “displayed signs of mental health problems prior to the killings."  This does not include Adam Lanza, the Newtown shooting perpetrator, who also showed signs of mental illness.  The past can't be changed but the future is undecided.  As a country, we must approach this controversial topic in a rational and sensitive manner.