Gun violence once again rocked our country on Valentine’s Day. A mass shooting occurred at a high school in Florida. Seventeen people, which included students and teachers were murdered. Once again we have to look at several factors. One being the ease at which we can get guns in some states, and then the emotional health of those who buy them.

                                     Guns and the Right to Carry

After incidents like these take place, the right to carry issue always comes up. Some states have it, while others don’t. Being able to address a danger immediately as it is happening, could save lives. It’s sad but true that we need to talk about these things today. We can’t bury our heads in the sand. Sad but true, it’s becoming the new normal. Personally, I don’t like guns. I’m afraid of them. However, if an emotionally stable person who is trained to the fullest extent on how to use one is carrying one, I would not have a problem with it at all.

I also feel that the government can do more, but it’s about how they legislate, so as to not step on the rights that we have under the Constitution. The right to carry should be looked at now from a mental health point of view. Yes, we need to look at the emotional health of people. It’s sad when it’s easier to purchase a gun in some places, than get a driver’s license.

                                         Emotional Health is Key

We tend to act on the immediacy of these horrific situations. I agree with those who say that we need to ban assault weapons of all kinds. There is no need to sell these to anyone in the general population. Any modifications sold along with many of these should also be banned. Weapons being sold online, need to be controlled better. Instead of aiming to take people’s rights away, look at the arsenal out there, and then the person using it. It annoys me to no end when everyone just won’t state the obvious. It’s people who fire the guns, not the guns themselves. Gun lobbyists out there are certainly looking out for their interests as are anti-gun groups. How about everyone agree that an emotionally unstable person is also the issue.

If you put one of those guns in front of me, I will not take it and shoot up a mall or workplace. I am not evil, I don’t hate the world, and I am not emotionally unbalanced, to want to harm others. Do a half-ass background check on someone, and yesterday is what you come up with. There apparently were indicators there, that he had issues. The students knew it and the school personnel knew it. He bragged about guns, and talked crazy and no one said anything?  How many times are we going to have to go through these events before people start saying anything. It boggles my mind.

                                     So What is the Answer?

I had to turn the television off last night. It wasn’t about the coverage being done on this story, but the barrage of talking heads, coming out of the woodwork, giving their thoughts. Yeah, everyone has an opinion, but for God sake, can we all agree that this was an insidious act, and the person who committed it has emotional problems. When the discussion turns into a political debate, again, I have to turn it off.

All of these self-righteous political hacks from both sides of the aisle, need to just shut up and stick to the facts. We had another mass shooting with loss of life, this being the 3rd most killed in our history in a shooting of this kind.  What are you going to do about it? It’s not about damn politics, it’s about human life. Get over the personal agendas and do the jobs you were all elected to do. Year after year, it’s the same old rhetoric crap being thrown out. Until this is dealt with from all angles, it will not go away. And there is no guarantee that even if anything is done by the government that it will go away completely.

Something needs to be done now! Just remember, elections are not that far away. If our elected officials in there now can’t figure it out, then maybe new ones in there will!