The hard part

Mass murders terrify us; when kindergartners are slaughtered we sink into despair or beyond. 

Many scramble to be on the side of the angels. This morning's NY Times ("Death in Connecticut") concludes this way: 

"The more that we hear about gun control and nothing happens, the less we can believe it will ever come. Certainly, it will not unless Mr. Obama and Congressional leaders show the courage to make it happen."

We want the guns to be in the hands of the responsible people.  But how do we get from a country where anywhere between 200 million and 300 million firearms are in private hands to one where they are just in "responsible" hands?   Authoritarian regimes know how to disarm their citizens, but that route is not an option.

PBS NewsHour's Mark Shields mentioned last night that it is tougher in the U.S. to rent a car than to buy a gun.  True enough.  But how about "getting a car" or "getting a gun?"

As in so many cases, articulating a preferred end-state is simple.  The getting there part is the tough part.  It is the part that is usually skipped over.

If we cannot identify and disarm the irresponsible, there is no choice but to arm the responsible.  School teachers and officials are the ones that can be vetted.