Guns Don't Kill People?

I am so overwhelmed with sadness at what happened in Connecticut yesterday (today in Japan).

I woke up this morning, was on the train reading the BBC News and I could feel my eyes well up a little.

A shooting at a PRIMARY school?!

A PRIMARY school?! Are you serious?! I can't get my head around it.

Of course a mass shooting is awful wherever it happens, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who choked up reading this news. These are such young children. 5 to 10 years old. It is so incredibly sad and heartbreaking to think that these parents in this apparently wealthy neighbourhood took their kids to school and then they were senselessly murdered.

It's just horrifying. 

What also disturbs me is that the gunmen that seem to carry out these mass shootings are so young themselves. It's just such a waste of young lives. But never more so than today.

Why does the US keep letting this happen?!

I know the dispute over gun control has been going on for years. A pro-gun country, it's alarming how easy it is to get hold of firearms. Just nip down Wal-mart and buy one. This is the problem. THIS is why these mass shootings keep happening. Make it more difficult ot get hold of weapons and you're guaranteed to see a drop in the number of shootings. At least, I think so.

Pro-gun supporters always say that it's not guns that kill people, but people who kill people. And to an extent, of course this is true. But allowing anyone, including mentally sick and twisted individuals, such easy access to weapons, well, how can people not realise that this is the problem? People do kill people, but it would be a hell of a lot harder for them if firearms were banned.

Not every gun owner has the intention to use it for malicious intent, but why can't they "protect themselves" like the rest of us - with a baseball bat or a knife?!

I'm wondering if it's just a matter of people adamant to exercise their "rights" to own a gun if they want to. But these kind of shootings - I mean, this is the 3rd one this year alone! What is it going to take for these people to realise that firearms are evil? I'm sure they'd change their tune if this awful tragedy happened to them. Not that I would wish something like this on anyone, but if it was to happen to them, then they would be mad that there wasn't a tighter regulation regarding gun control. 

If ever there was a time for these regulations to be introduced, it's now. 

There was an interesting picture floating around Facebook with some interesting stats. It must have been pretty old because one of the countries was "West Germany" and I can't remember all the stats, but it said that in that year, there were 8 handgun shootings in the UK and then in the USA that number was over 10,000!!! I know it must have been old, but the fact of the matter is that NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!!!! 

I fail to believe that gun owners who are parents wouldn't support the ban in light of what happened today. What if someone broke into their house, took their gun and killed their kid?! It just goes to show that anything could happen anywhere. 

Come on America!!!!! Follow Europe's example and BAN THOSE GUNS!!!!!! This should not allowed to happen again - these are CHILDREN FFS!!!

My heart aches for those poor parents and families of those killed. 

May they all rest in peace.

xoxo