Interestingly, I am softening my anti-gun stance of late. At least as it regards the basic idea of guns being legal and obtainable. Recent research into the effect of gun availability on violent crime seems to suggest that allowing the general population to own and even carry personal firearms actually reduces crime. Of course as a good scientist and statistician I am waiting to see if this holds up under further scientific scrutiny (as opposed to emotional diatribe). At this point though, I am probably inclined to favor extremely strict prohibition against public ownership of mass-firepower class military assault weapons (Sure a flamethower would add palpability to your sense of personal space, but c'mon ).

I am also tempering my views in the wake of statistics from the FBI and other groups that study and track crime rates, since their research suggests that even though the reporting of crime, especially violent crime, is way up, crime itself has been steadily dropping for decades. Apparently this is true of ALL crime, violent or not, which begs the question, "What has increased? Violence itself or the fear of violence."

Also, with regard to the school shootings, I've heard a lot of discussion about proper parenting, video games, gun control, and 2 career housholds. All of these discussions contained a lot of good points. But one thing I rarely hear about is the role of biological mental health, particulary with regard to depression as a factor in these tragedies. Its all anthropology and sociology. Yet more and more evidence suggests that chronic major, biologically based depression does occur in a fraction of our children and adolescents. So while its expression can be attenuated by positive or negative environmental factors, some children are biologically predisposed to feelings of isolation and despair. Parents of these children often do all the things that they are supposed to do in terms of time, support and supervision and providing the usually sufficient opportunities for social development and growth, only to find that that growth and personal integration doesn't happen. I am not suggesting adolescent onset depression as a single point cause of these shooting sprees. Yet with so many of them associated with suicide I think it would be a mistake not to factor it into the equation.

One thing that has not been tempered by the recent debates is my general skepticism about global characterizations of any kind. Implications that we live in times that are 'so much different than at any other time in history', generally make me wince, as do statements regarding how immoral we've become compared to some recently passed 'golden age'. What nonsense! In the 1700's-1800's men of education and civil society were murdering each other in duels over some bizarre notions of honor. Senators had fistfights and beat each other near to death with canes during the pre-civil war arguements over slavery and secession. Bleeding Kansas didn't get its name because of its liberal beliefs. Does anybody really think that a high-school shooting spree is different from a KKK bombing of a church or synagogue, or that a drive by shooting over cocaine territory is different from the St Valentines day massacre, or the range wars between settlers and cattlemen? There is really nothing happening today that doesn't go back forever. Its no accident that the second story in the Bible involving human beings is the story of Cain and Abel. A man despairs over his lot compared to that of his brother. He feels rejected and isolated and he kills his brother out of jealous anger.