For the most part everyone's ideas on how to solve the gun problem is based on personal feelings about what they believe is right. Unfortunately, this is not how the process works. And sometimes it helps to be objective and imagine what the other side on the issue is thinking.
Politics play a big part in this which is obviously a shame. President Obama never made gun control an issue during his first term because he was terrified of losing votes because of it; now that he's a lame duck I suspect this will change. It's sad that politics have such a huge impact on what is right and wrong on issues such as this -- the safety of our children; however, BHO is hardly the first president to be influenced by political concerns and I can't rightly blame him solely because of that. On the flip side, the Republicans are beholden to the NRA (and, of course, more non-NRA gun owners are Republicans as well) and God forbid the issue of gun control is even discussed for fear of losing votes or having that lobby after you.
No matter what is said on this or any other chat board, guns are not going away as they have in parts of Europe and Asia. Our country was built on guns -- they're not going away. However, I don't think it's so crazy for both sides to get together and recognize that there is a problem in this country with guns and the maniacs who are getting access to them and that something should be done. Getting rid of assault rifles is the usual first idea but assault rifles were not to blame in yesterday's massacre in CT. I still have yet to hear a cogent explanation on why such guns are permitted to be sold to private citizens but, again, making them unavailable to the average American will not end the recent spate of shootings. Until both sides of the issue sit down and discuss the matter honestly, without politics being in play, nothing will ever truly get accomplished.
Of course, more people are killed each year due to obesity and we're not clamoring for the removal of fast food chains from the landscape.
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