Nobody Needs a Gun

Columbine, Colorado, April 20, 1999. Twelve students and a teacher are killed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Twenty-one other students were shot and injured, and three others were injured while trying to escape. Klebold has been described as depressive, Harris a psychopath.

Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, October 2, 2006. Five Amish school girls between the ages of 7 and 13 are killed by Charles Carl Roberts IV, who commits suicide in the schoolhouse. Five other girls were wounded. Roberts told his wife that he had molested two young female relatives twenty years previously and had been daydreaming about molesting again, although it is unclear whether these events had ever happened.

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, April 16, 2007. Thirty-two people are killed and twenty five others wounded by Seung-Hui Cho, who had been diagnosed with anxiety and severe depressive disorders.

Seattle, Washington, August, 2008. A teenage hunter shot and killed a 54 year old woman hiker who he mistook for a bear.

Jackson, Mississippi, June, 2009. An 11-year-old Mississippi boy accidentally killed his 9-year-old brother with a shotgun blast as the two struggled over the gun after arguing about a video game.

The list goes on.

Clearly the nation's gun laws are ineffective in keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of children and the mentally ill. What's the solution? Keep guns out of everyone's hands. Nobody needs a gun, except for law enforcement officers and active duty military personnel in combat situations.

You say you're a hunter? No one needs to hunt for food in this day and age. If you absolutely feel that you must hunt, switch to using a bow and arrow, or set traps for your prey. Yes, you can still kill someone accidentally with a bow and arrow, but you can't commit the mass murders of Blacksburg or Columbine with arrows. You need bullets for that. If you really have the need to shoot a gun, get some friends together and have a paintball party in the woods.

Need a gun for self defense, you say? Or to defend your home and family? Get some pepper spray, or a taser, if that's legal in your area. Get a good watchdog and train him. Invest in heavy duty locks and an alarm system for your home. Use common sense and avoid walking or driving through high crime areas, especially after dark.

Don't confuse wanting a gun with needing a gun. If no one has a gun, then no one else needs one.