On Friday afternoon I was volunteering at my daughter’s elementary school for her “Battle of the Books” practice.  She is in 4th grade. 

I did not find out until later that night what had happened. When I read the news I couldn’t help but picture Red Rock Elementary, all of the little souls running around, my daughter and her friends, the principles and staff that we know, and what that would be like to have somebody come in and do what they did in Newtown, CT. 

I couldn’t help but weep for our children, and wonder how these other troubled young people are getting their hands on these types of weapons to cause such destruction and what is going through their heads to make this type of behavior justified to the point where they take this kind of action. 

I can see the logic with fellow blogger Dick Bernard's post. 

I also can see where some proponents of the status quo are coming from. 

As with most complex problems there are no simple solutions. Typically a new good solution to a complex problem usually creates another set up problems that need to be resolved.  Complex problem solving is really HARD work and most people don’t want to do this type of really HARD Work.  

It seems that proponents of the Second Amendment status quo are worried about losing our rights to defend ourselves from outside aggression, or the possibility of inside aggression from our own government, which the Second Amendment was all about in the first place.  I also would not want  to see the citizens of our great country held hostage without the means to defend ourselves from a situation that would call for such action, yet wonder what the odds of that ever happening are.  If this type of extreme action would happen, I also have no doubt that myself and many others would find the weapons necessary to defend our freedoms and rights, if guns were restricted more than they are now.  

I would also never want our country’s great sport and recreation around hunting to suffer because of a handful of people who are not responsible with their guns.  With that said, even though I really agree with the fact that “people kill people” not guns; guns sure do make it a lot easier, faster, and more efficient to people to kill people. Any logical mind can come to that conclusion.  

No matter what happens, the most important thing is that productive dialog and debate is happening. Hopefully this can be constructive and not destructive.  When people cannot have this kind of dialog, without letting their emotions and their strong need to see things completely black and white get the best of them, then we are really in trouble.  Maybe we already are in real “trouble”