Friday, December 14, 2012

Gun Laws and the Madness of Their Abuse

If you, like me, are having a hard time with today's senseless mass murder in the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, here are some posts that have helped me to understand how vital it is for lawmakers, regardless of party, to finally do something about everything that contributes to this series of disturbed people obtaining military weapons and killing total strangers before killing themselves.

Here's an article about the original purpose of the Second Amendment. One of the original reasons to give Americans (i.e. the white people who were living in America in the 18th century) the right to have guns was so that they could protect themselves from the people who had, for thousands of years, been living on the land the Americans wanted to own.

I started thinking about this after listening to the Little War On The Prairie episode of This American Life. If you are as interested in the subject as I am, This article in the Georgetown Law Journal by Angela R. Riley explores the matter of the second amendment and the native American population at the time of its drafting in considerable depth, and explores gun laws in ways I have never considered before.

The New Yorker blog has several helpful posts:

Newtown and the Madness of Guns
(Thanks to Carl for sending me here)
America's Shame: Words and Tears Aren't Enough
The Newtown Shooting: Kindergarteners and Courage
The Right Day to Talk About Guns
What Obama Must Do About Guns

and this violin maker who is married to a soldier brings another perspective to the discussion.

I totally agree with Michael's call for President Obama to lead the way for gun laws that address the needs of our time, so I'm adding my small voice. I hope that you will add your voice as well.

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