Is Gun Control Our Savior?

Gun control laws have never prevented or deterred criminal activity, a fact every country in the world can attest to, despite what advocates to the contrary would have you believe.

That said, it is equally true that easy access to firearms 'to protect oneself' is not the answer either. The criminal element will always arm themselves in spite of any legislation.

With each tragic mass murder, particularly those occurring in the United States, the debate over gun control gets louder, more passionate, and more devisive. Like abortion and religion, gun control is a no-win argument regardless of which side of the fence you perch.

December 14, 2012 saw elementary school children gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut, a community of about 27,000 average Americans located about 60 miles from New York City founded in 1711, who had every reason to believe they were safe from such horrors. And who could blame them for their false sense of security? Smaller communities often are immune from 'big city violence', with their local police department filling their blotter with traffic tickets and petty crime. Neighbors know one another, and a primary choice to live in a smaller community is the quality of life aspects it offers. A great place to raise a family, so it is thought.

But it is misguided to exploit the Newtown tragedy, or any other for that matter, for sociopolitical gain, or to suggest as a knee-jerk response that such an atrocity in Newton would have been prevented had tighter gun control legislation been in place.

Purely for illustration purposes, on the very same day Newtown was plunged into shock and disbelief, another equally tragic event was unfolding thousands of kilometres away in Chengping, China. While it is not the intent to compare tragedies, those brutilized in the China attack are no less in shock. Their families do not grieve less. And in this particular attack, the perpetrator did not shoot a soul. He used a knife.

Possibly time and circumstance will better inform us as to the 'whys' these two sombre events came into play. We may learn of the clues and warning signs that presented themselves for action or intervention. And with any luck, we might even learn a few lessons about identifying similar people in our midst who are at risk of being the next villain. But to restrict guns, or contrarily, to ease gun controls, those are not solutions that will lead us to safer communities.

Take this opportunity to hug your children today, just because. Also take the message of this festive season to introduce yourself to your neighbors and to take an interest in those around you. Know your community!