That was the saddest thing I have read in a while.
I don't own any guns. Doubt I ever will. I think there are parts of the country so dangerous it shouldn't just be a right but probably a necessity to own a firearm. Even some guy whose family lives on the outskirts of some little, lazy town knows it would take the police a long time to get to him and wants a firearm in the home, especially when he is away on business for his wife to have for protection. I think that family has a right to have guns.
But when the ink on the constitution had yet to dry, those men were living in an age when if a madmen walked into a tavern or church or schoolroom with an intent to kill or maim, the guns and weapons and ammunition at his disposal were so quaint compared to today it seems barely more dangerous than a slingshot. He walks into the tavern back then fires a single shot and then has to reload giving everybody ample time to run out the back door, tackle him, or yes return fire. With today's weapons, most at the tavern or classroom could be dead before you could blink your eye. And if I'm not mistaken most people didn't even die from the gunshot itself back then, it was the subsequent infection that got them.
I think there are steps we could take to begin to mitigate the carnage. We are too awash with weapons that seem more suitable for the soldier than the citizen to stop things like this from happening again anytime soon. But I think we should try. I think the amount of weaponry this shooter built up for himself is ridiculous in a civilized society. I don't have all the answers. I don't want anybodies shotgun or pistol taken away (although 30 round clips seem excessive) but I gotta admit it for John Q Public to be able to buy enough weaponry to kill a small town and do it in a matter of minutes seems crazy to me we allow that. There is an area between the NRA and people that want to confiscate all guns and most Americans are in that area and most want a little more common sense just to see if it helps.