How much proof is enough? The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary is another awful example of gun abuse. Did we learn nothing from the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999? How about the 32 deaths at Virginia Tech in 2007? Could lenient gun laws have anything to do with these horrifying events? On Dec. 14, Michigan legislators have elected to allow “highly-trained gun experts” to carried concealed firearms in many new public places, such as schools. Hours later, The United States was shocked when 27 were reported dead, 20 of whom were young children, at an elementary school in Connecticut. With Gov. Snyder set to veto the bill, this shows the shift in public opinion on gun control and the Republicans’ lack of touch with their constituents.
Guns and children do not mix. Actually, people and guns do not mix. Opponents of gun-restriction laws claim that horrible attacks can be prevented if restrictions are placed on the mentally ill, who they deem unfit to carry firearms. According to a New York Times article, homicides caused by the mentally ill equate to only about four percent of gun-related homicides. Steve Dulan, a representative of the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, went on the CNN news program, Piers Morgan Tonight, to explain the logic behind the new legislation.
“The simple facts are that guns exist… and we know for a fact that the only way to stop an evil person, like the person you were discussing earlier in the show, is to shoot him, or he’s going to shoot himself.”
This response is echoed by many from the gun lobby. To them, the solution to gun problems is more guns. Just like how the solution to inflation is to print more money, or the solution to a pill addiction is another prescription. While the events in Connecticut made Gov. Snyder unsure of whether or not he should sign the bill, the majority of Michigan Republicans continued to push for its passage. Even though there was a huge public outcry, these legislators seek to put kids closer to deadly weapons in the name of protecting them.
