[barrysloate]

I'm on the side that believes there are far too many guns in circulation, and not enough gun laws in place. But I also realize even strict gun laws will not prevent some lunatic from getting a gun anyway and going on one of these rampages.

Nobody will get hurt by having stricter gun laws, you certainly won't have more shootings if it's tougher to buy a gun. And you might stop a few of these killers in their tracks.

But here is what pisses me off to no end: the intractable positions taken by that group of idiots known as the NRA. These are people who will never ever listen to others who might disagree with their rigid positions on gun ownership. These are people whose goal is to break any politician who dares to take them on and says there needs to be some changes in America. These are people who are deaf to everybody except their own.

Maybe it's time for President Obama, who no longer has to worry about reelection, to start challenging these guys. There is no room for any organization of any kind who refuses to make any changes whatsoever, even in the face of these mounting tragedies. There needs to be dialogue, and there needs to be some changes made on how gun sales are transacted.

No, it will not end gun violence. But it's a start and a step in the right direction. And responsible people will still be allowed to purchase and keep guns. There needs to be a much more rigorous background check on so many of these people who have a history of mental instability. Doing nothing and refusing to change will no longer work.