I was saddened and sickened by the events that transpired on Friday, December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Words are not easy to use, and I'm not sure how to clearly reflect my deep sorrow. When I found out on Friday, I was moved to tears reading articles and watching coverage online.
Out of this tragedy, there have been tales of heroism and selflessness, such as Victoria Soto, 27, who hid her children in closets, then told Adam Lanza, the gunman, that they were in the gym. He then shot and killed her, but none of her students were harmed. The school principal, Dawn Hochsprung, reportedly lunged at Lanza in an attempt to overtake him, and was killed in the process. It was other adults' and teachers' fast action that kept other students safe and alive.
It is clear that gun control laws are needed especially in light of this tragedy. In his Friday show, Piers Morgan said:
"There are nearly 12,000 murders a year from guns in this country. When are you guys going to focus on that, and stop telling me the answer is more guns? It is not the answer! How many more kids have to die, before you guys say, 'we want less guns, not more?'"
The 1934 National Firearms Act taxes the manufacturing and sale of guns, requires that distributors of guns register then with the Attorney General, and relays sales information.
The 1968 Gun Control Act requires that gun manufacturers and salespeople be federally licensed, and prohibits the interstate sale of guns.
The 1993 Brady Handgun Prevention Act requires background checks for those purchasing firearms who were not already licensed to carry them, and puts two age restrictions on purchasing guns: to buy "long guns", you must be 18; to buy "short guns", you must be 21.
The current laws don't go far enough in terms of gun control. It's clear we need a change.
I've been trying to imbed two videos, but my computer is glitching, so I'll link them here:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/tribute-newtowns-fallen-heroes-17993817
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/obama-connecticut-school-shooting-hearts-broken-17977068
It is clear that gun control laws are needed especially in light of this tragedy. In his Friday show, Piers Morgan said:
"There are nearly 12,000 murders a year from guns in this country. When are you guys going to focus on that, and stop telling me the answer is more guns? It is not the answer! How many more kids have to die, before you guys say, 'we want less guns, not more?'"
The 1934 National Firearms Act taxes the manufacturing and sale of guns, requires that distributors of guns register then with the Attorney General, and relays sales information.
The 1968 Gun Control Act requires that gun manufacturers and salespeople be federally licensed, and prohibits the interstate sale of guns.
The 1993 Brady Handgun Prevention Act requires background checks for those purchasing firearms who were not already licensed to carry them, and puts two age restrictions on purchasing guns: to buy "long guns", you must be 18; to buy "short guns", you must be 21.
The current laws don't go far enough in terms of gun control. It's clear we need a change.
I've been trying to imbed two videos, but my computer is glitching, so I'll link them here:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/tribute-newtowns-fallen-heroes-17993817
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/obama-connecticut-school-shooting-hearts-broken-17977068
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