Will stopping guns stop the killing?

Last week the shooting and death of two reporters in Virginia has added more fuel to the gun debate with some national leaders calling for stricter gun control laws in the name of safety. For many years there have been activists on both sides of this debate; but each time there is a shooting that gains national attention, the issue of gun control is moved once more into the cross hairs of state and federal law makers. Is there really a belief that we need more gun control laws? Or does passing laws restricting guns make some people feel as though they have responded to a tragedy by doing something? What if what they want to do is not the right answer or will not fix the problem?

I will agree with both sides about the fact that there is a growing problem in our country with violence that we have not seen before. Movie theater shootings, malls, schools, churches, the list goes on and on. There is a problem, and it does need to be addressed.

What I do not agree with however is that the problem is with our guns. When you get to the heart of the issue on gun control, you will find it is really an issue of power and control. A people who cannot defend themselves are a people who can and will be controlled by those who wield such power.

Someone can say the gun is at fault for a horrible act as much as they want, but we have never convicted a gun, sent a gun to prison, or executed a gun. A gun is a device that can be used for good as well as evil. The problem is the person controlling the gun; and if someone is intent on killing, they will kill with or without a gun.

On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of U.S. citizens were killed by commercial passenger jets that were used as weapons. On April 19, 1995, 168 US citizens were killed and another 680 were wounded when a bomb was detonated in Oklahoma City at a federal building. Recently news media also covered the tragic death of the Oklahoma Labor Commissioner who was stabbed to death with a knife. There has not been an outcry for "sharp knife control," and no one has attempted to ban airplanes because they "kill people."

Guns have been used by violent people to kill others, and they have also been used by brave people to save others. George Madison said, "To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them." Taking away guns will not stop people from killing, and it will not make our society any safer. What will make us safer is being able to protect ourselves, and having an armed nation of law abiding citizens. There are too many stories with tragic endings and we should seek out answers, but taking away our constitutional right to keep and bear arms is not that answer.