Just Like Clockwork

                A gunman started shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. around 8:00 A.M. on Monday morning, September 16, 2013, and killed twelve people before being killed by police.  Eight additional people were injured:  three shot by the shooter, five had stress related injuries, and at least one person fell.  The suspected shooter was apparently a military contractor who had a problem with the Navy.  Initially authorities said that three shooters were involved and even announced a detailed description of two suspects; eventually, the police announced that they were comfortable in saying that the shooting had been committed by one person.  Those killed by the shooter range in age from 46 to 73 years in age and included both men and women.  A Metropolitan Police Officer was injured in the shooting but is doing well.

                By Monday evening Senator DianneFeinstein (D-California) had renewed her demand for more gun-control laws.  “When will enough be enough?  Congress must stop shirking its responsibility and resume a thoughtful debate on gun violence in this country.  We must do more to stop this endless loss of life.”  She added:  “There are reports the killed was armed with an AR-15, a shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol when he stormed an American military installation in the nation’s capital and took at least 12 innocent lives.”

                Feinstein is not one to waste a crisis.  After the murders of innocent children at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year, Feinstein pushed unsuccessfully to ban more than 150 types of firearms, including rifles, pistols and shotguns.  She renewed her call for more gun control on Monday.

                When will people like Feinstein understand that gun control does not control guns that get into the hands of people who should not have guns?  There are millions of responsible gun owners in the United States who have never shot another person, and their guns have never been used in a crime of any kind. 

                I agree with Feinstein that we should do something before more innocent people lose their lives, but I disagree with her demand for more gun control.  The shooter at Navy Yard allegedly had several previous incidences that showed his anger and inability to use his guns in a law-abiding way.  The attacks at the Navy Yard would not have taken place if the shooter had received help and/or been incarcerated at any of the previous incidences.  It is way past time that we demand that our legislators use common sense in making laws.  Let’s get the dangerous people off the streets before they become mass murderers!