... life.
Going to a movie. Going to the midnight showing of a new movie. Not expecting there to be a lunatic armed to the teeth and prepared for combat (armor, including throat and groin protection, and a gasmask for the smoke bombs he would set off). As of this writing there are twelve innocent people dead, just watching the wrong movie in the wrong theater on the wrong night.
And to think Fred Willard was cited for lewd conduct in a theater just a day earlier. Shows you where our priorities lay.
This was a tragedy waiting to happen in that the laws we have regarding gun control have been written by special interest groups promoting a gun ownership agenda because it increases profits. It's a sad day in America when we put profit over lives, but it happens... whether we're watching it or not.
I love guns. I don't own any, as I have a 4 year old whom I don't trust with the telephone let alone a firearm. I have fired guns before, and enjoy it. Hell, I think I'm a pretty decent shot. But I wouldn't mind sitting through a background check in order to purchase a weapon when the time comes. And I would DEFINITELY feel safer having everyone else, regardless of state they're from, go through a background check. This includes private purchases as well, like at gun shows. It may slow down people's profit but in the interest of public safety I think this is fair. In fact, sell just about any type of weapon. Just have a sliding scale of intensity for background checks.
Right now, we as a country are fracturing along political lines. Even in our family there are people we cannot have civil political discourse with because we are too liberal in their eyes. To me that's a real tragedy, because it's in our discussions we can achieve comprimise. And what do we have to fear from comprimise? Fear itself.
Additional reading links:
Federal Observer - "Criminals use loophole to get guns"
Washington Times - "'Straw Buyers' plead guilty to dealing guns"
