What a day for tragedy. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones and to the entire nation. They were all a part of us.

To quote myself from a few entries above, "if you ever need a righteous and armed person to tip the balance of a bad situation to your favor don't deny me my right to keep and bare arms!"

Gun laws made no difference to the mad man who perpetrated these heinous crimes. Indeed, in just about every gun related crime, gun laws are broken. It seems the only effect of the law is to lay blame and determine punishment.

But the other, bigger effect of many of these laws is a chilling effect on the honest, law abiding citizenry! In fact, these laws are in direct contradiction of the second amendment which say that "the right of the PEOPLE (emphasis mine) to keep and bare arms shall NOT BE INFRINGED (again). I cannot help but think that if a few of the students had been armed there would have been a very different outcome. At the very least, they would have had a fighting chance.

No, it's not pleasant to contemplate but it is a truth from time immemorial: there are times when the only way to defend your life is with lethal force. Sticking your head in the sand or in some ill-conceived gun law will not change that truth. Like a good insurance policy, you hope you never have to use it but thank God it's there.