Arizona Aftermath

I found this gem from an ESPN columnist - click here then scroll about halfway down (unless you want to read about the NFL post-season first). I'm not exactly sure why this was in the middle of his column, but I thought he made some valid points. 

"800 Americans Killed by Guns Since the Arizona Shootings: 

 It is a sign of the state of U.S. discourse that the Arizona tragedy led immediately to political finger-pointing. Perhaps Jared Loughner was influenced in some way by Tea Party commentary, but there's no proof of this; diseased minds are hard to understand. Yet left-wing commentators jumped to the assumption that Loughner was somehow acting on the orders of people such as Glenn Beck, and that Beck and his ilk condone murder: absurd contentions. On the right, Sarah Plain -- referring to herself as "we" -- denied that her rifle-crosshairs-graphic showing the congressional district of Rep. Gabriella Giffords was reckless, then declared that "journalists and pundits" who call attention to her crosshairs graphic cause "hatred and violence." So Palin need not apologize for using a bull's-eye graphic, but anyone who points out Palin's own action is inciting violence. This is incoherent even by the low standards of contemporary politics.

More important is that Loughner, with a record of mental instability, legally purchased not just a concealed weapon but a high-rate-of-fire Glock -- same gun used in the Virginia Tech massacre -- plus a 33-round combat magazine. Combat magazines have no relevance to hunting, marksmanship or self-defense. In what self-defense situation would a law-abiding person fire 33 times? Combat magazines are useful for two purposes, infantry battle and mass murder. In Arizona, anyone can buy them."

 What a sad state of affairs we live in when a tragedy like this gets politicized. Shame on all those politicians on both sides of the aisle who are trying to "never let a good tragedy go to waste." It's also sad that our laws regulate children's toys more than guns. While it is true that pens don't write letters, cars don't drive themselves, and guns don't kill people, it really should not be so easy to buy massacre-ready guns.

I'm all for the Right to Bear Arms, but it needs to be better regulated. And having an on-duty police officer present at all public appearances of nationally elected public officials is not a half-bad idea either.