CNN reports that in the aftermath of the Tucson shooting, House and Senate leaders are considering additional security for their members. That’s all fine and dandy, but my simple question is this:
What about the rest of us?
This guy went in and legally bought a 9mm Glock with ammo, even though his friends and schools knew he was a little nutty. All of the dead people weren’t in Congress. They were collateral damage. What about them? The first person who says that a nine year old should be defending herself from a Glock gets a Bronx Cheer.
If there aren’t already laws to prevent mentally disturbed people from purchasing firearms, perhaps such a law should be considered. But what constitutes mentally disturbed? Physician diagnosis? Was Jared Lee Loughner diagnosed as mentally disturbed?
Although gun control laws are too weak in the U.S, I don’t think this was a failure in terms of gun control, it was more of a failure of the healthcare system. This guy obviously needed help and he wasn’t getting it.