Hear me out - gun control

The awful shooting incident at Virginia Tech on Monday has me thinking about gun control. There are some social debates that I waver on, like the Pisces I am, but this isn't one of them. I really do not believe that we need the right to handguns. Their sole purpose is to kill people - how is it necessary for individuals to have that power? It makes violence so much cheaper and easier. I really do try to listen to the opposing point of view, but people tend to lose me at "2nd amendment."

The 2nd amendment was not designed to arm citizens against each other, it was intended to protect citizens from the government itself. Do you think the government is going to let you use your 9mm against it? We can shoot each other and ourselves (and we do - according to the CDC, "American kids are 16 times more likely to be murdered with a gun, 11 times more likely to commit suicide with a gun, and nine times more likely to die from a firearm accident than children in 25 other industrialized countries combined"), but law enforcement gets very serious about anything resembling anti-government activity. Which is as it should be - I'm not advocating armed revolt. If the laws of the land are followed, and the intrinsic checks and balances are not just ignored as they have been by this administration, I think we the people can effect change without resorting to violence. But I digress - my point is, the real reason for the 2nd amendment being null and void, why have we allowed it to be coopted by people who just want to have the power to kill other citizens?

Another argument I've heard, and I do love syllogisms, is that "if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." That actually sounds like a plan to me - certainly would make them easy to identify, wouldn't it? If you could lock up criminals for just possessing the tools to commit violent crime, you could prevent a lot of it. It's practically PreCrime! I love Minority Report, even if Tom Cruise is insane.

And another thing - I was surprised to learn that the killer in this case was a resident alien. Not because I think all the crazies in the world have US citizenship, but because I find it hard to believe that our laws, which are so limiting regarding immigration and immigrants' rights, still somehow allow non-citizens to legally purchase handguns. How is this necessary? Even if you disagree with me entirely and think that guns are next to flowers in the book of what makes life grand, does it really seem like a good idea to open this up to visitors, too? I can't believe this wasn't the first law changed after 9/11. We, the citizens of the US, have given up so many of our rights over the past few years, but resident aliens can still arm themselves at will. My mind, it is boggling.

One last point, and I swear I'm done (for now) - to buy a handgun, a person has to prove his or her identity and wait a few days. While he/she waits, the dealer will run a background check to make sure there are no felony convictions or mental institution commitments in the person's past. This check is supposed to ensure that only responsible citizens can purchase handguns, but I would argue (am, in fact, arguing) that this gives a false sense of security. A clean background check could very well mean that the person is an upstanding member of society. Or it could mean that the person is a criminal who has not yet been caught, is using a false identity, or is insane but has never been institutionalized. Look at the Virginia Tech killer - this isn't a case where people shook their heads afterward and said, "he seemed so normal!" This was a troubled person with a history of stalking and mental illness. And yet, he was able to legally purchase a handgun.

I'm not a very good pacifist. I can imagine killing - if someone threatened my children, or in self-defense. I would have to be in a pretty tight corner, though, desperate enough to use whatever came to hand. Guns make it too easy, and don't allow time for second thoughts.