I blame the gun-rights movement.
The reason I say that is this shooting, like all the others, is the direct result of loose gun laws and the resultant gun availability to unfit people. The gun-rights folks, led by the NRA, are responsible for keeping things that way, and in many cases, making them even worse. They spend lots of money and even more time and effort on the internet spreading their false doctrine that more guns means less crime. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the next days we'll hear countless pro-gun fanatics claim that this wouldn't have happened if the school hadn't been a gun-free zone. They frequently claim that mass shooters calculatingly select gun-free zones for their attacks. This is a double lie.
The truth is, as was probably the case today, spree shooters generally go to the place of their grievance regardless of its gun control status. And, as we saw in Phoenix last year, when the shooting takes place where guns are allowed, concealed carry permit holders are powerless to stop it.
Proper gun control laws would eliminate some of these incidents. Gun availability to the unfit, whether they be dangerous criminals or the mentally ill, could easily be diminished by simply closing the private-sale loophole. Borderline psychotics could in many cases be identified before they act, with improved mental health background checks and basic mental health testing. Gun-rights activists are preventing this from happening. That's why they are to blame.
Hopefully, the Presidents tearful remarks today will augur well for the long-overdue changes we need in our gun laws and our attitudes of accepting these all-too-frequent shootings.
