by Janelle Von Pinnnon – Publisher
As readers probably already know, the Newsleader has been battling it out between both sides of the gun-control issue – some tout enacting legislature to limit military-style assault weapons and enforce stricter gun-licensing rules; others advocate their Second Amendment rights saying “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”
Although both sides are adamant in their beliefs and adhere strictly to their positions, most would agree something needs to be done to curb these appalling, senseless, and all too common killing frenzies.
The latest incidents include a former cop from California on the loose for nine days after several shooting sprees leaving at least four dead, including two police officers. And, closer to home, a shooter in the Twin Cities suburb of Oakdale who randomly riddled bullets at any moving target, including a minivan with a mother and her 9-year-old son coming home during suppertime Monday evening. The innocent boy, Devin Aryal, died and several others were seriously injured from that rampage.
During his State of the Union speech Tuesday evening, President Obama mentioned there have been more than 1,000 gun-related deaths just since the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in early December.
As a society we need to say “Enough!”
Maybe we need to start thinking outside the box when it comes to gun control.
I was heartened to hear of a Twin Cities police chief who is taking action. His department spends $1 million annually on guns and ammunition. To do his part, he said he would purchase only from responsible gun dealers who self-impose limits on the purchase of semi-automatic weapons and multiple ammunition clips. I hope this catches on like wildfire and spreads to other communities, large and small. After all, no change is effective unless it hits the source in their pocketbooks.
Another bright idea I’ve recently heard about – and believe it’s already being implemented although not fast enough for me – is new technology that allows a gun to be fired only by its licensed owner. Others who may try to fire it would disable the gun altogether.
And yet another technology-based thought, one of the most ingenious ones to date I think, came from my 18-year-old daughter who, while discussing this same issue thoughtfully and sensibly, offered the suggestion if we can use relatively inexpensive GPS tracking in cars to pinpoint our location and can microchip our pets so they can be found if lost, why couldn’t this same technology be used to track guns and those using them?
And maybe there needs to be a combination of all those ideas and many more that are still surfacing out there.
Somehow, those current technologies, as well as new technologies and the new ideas of our future generation give me hope. I just wish, in the meantime, no more innocent lives would be taken by gunfire, but, unfortunately, this is probably only wishful thinking.
