Henican: Sandy Hook, Jovan Belcher, and gun control
Mourners grieve at one of the makeshift memorials for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. (Dec. 16, 2012) Credit: AP
Two weeks ago, sportscaster Bob Costas was widely denounced for mentioning gun control on "Sunday Night Football." Costas, who grew up in Commack and graduated from Commack High School South, spoke a day and a half after a Kansas City Chiefs linebacker shot his girlfriend to death then turned the gun on himself.
Much too soon! Totally insensitive! Or so the critics roared.
Please, would someone tell me when the right time is?
On Friday morning, police say, Adam Lanza, age 20, walked into a classroom at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. After killing his mother in their Newtown home, he went to the school, where he fatally shot 20 children ages 6 and 7. He also shot and killed six other adults before shooting and killing himself. Another adult was injured.
Say what you will about this latest tragedy, and there is quite a bit to say. One fact is undeniable: Most of those children and adults would still be living if Adam Lanza hadn't been able to arm himself so easily, in this case with two semiautomatic handguns, a Sig Sauer and a Glock, and a Bushmaster .223 M4 carbine. Same with linebacker Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, who might well be alive if he'd had no gun. Same with thousands and thousands of others.
The mayor of New York and the members of Congress from Long Island have been among the voices of sanity since Lanza's shooting rampage. We have some of America's toughest gun laws around here and far less gun violence than many places. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is always front and center at times like this. That's to be expected. She has personal experience. But give extra credit to others who've been making sense.
"We keep viewing these tragedies as teachable moments on stopping gun violence," Rep. Steve Israel wrote on Facebook minutes after the reports arrived from Connecticut, risking his very own Costas-style blowback. "Then we forget the lessons until the next tragedy."
Anyone ready to learn?
1. A well-regulated militia
2. Being necessary to the security of a free state,
3. The right of the people to keep and bear arms
4. Shall not be infringed-
5. Even if means 20 dead children in Connecticut.
Email ellis@henican.com
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