While society continues to see these tragedies appearing too frequently, perhaps the leaders in government and law enforcement are approaching this problem the wrong way. We are dealing with a growing number of unbalanced individuals who have access to guns.

∙All the laws we have on the books today do not stop these people from obtaining these weapons. We can all agree that a sufficient amount of water has flowed under the bridge and there are millions of guns on the street. Trying to make tougher gun control laws will not work as it will only create a wider black market for them. We can continue to squander resources trying to prevent these disturbed individuals from obtaining guns but this will only end in failure.

∙We have enhanced this problem further with the level of violence in video games and other media. Many of today’s youth are involved in these games and attend classes to improve their skill set to obtain higher scores. Perhaps these individuals are acting these games out in real life, unable to separate fantasy from reality. When they embark on these rampages , they are suddenly confronted with the reality of their deed - cannot accept it and commit suicide.

With the previous tragedies of Virginia Tech, the movie theater, Colombine and others, authorities have come away with more data but no real solutions. Perhaps the answer is right under their noses.

For example:

▸When was the last time you encountered a situation where an individual stormed a police station to kill police? Never.

▸When you see money going to banks, they are transported by armed guards to the bank. We protect our currency with guns.

▸We have armed guards in our courts - they are protecting criminals from society and v. versus. Why don’t we do the same with our youth?

So what is missing with all of these tragedies? A deterrent! Police chiefs have stated that they cannot be everywhere and when these unbalanced people go into public venues, they have unrestricted access to unarmed individuals - like “clay pigeons in a shooting gallery.

It is time that society accept the fact that we need armed protection at these public venues for as long as they are open. Whether it is a movie theater, a school, a place of employment or whatever, a person needs to be posted inside these places to be the deterrent to these unbalanced people. If we can do it in banks and the courts, why not everywhere else? These security people do not have to display the gun but leave it concealed. But the word must go out that this sort of behavior will no longer be tolerated by society.

If lawmakers want to do something constructive, perhaps they should write language that would make these attacks acts of terrorism and subject these people to the death penalty. Society should not be forced to pay to house these individuals for the rest of their natural lives. Were seeking a stronger deterrent here and this should be a federal law as federal education funds are involved here!

Unfortunately, this country has become more violent and is probably being driven by television and video games. The people who are committing these acts are doing the killing, not the guns. The media is also encouraging these incidents by announcing body counts and making celebrities of these killers. We don’t need wall to wall coverage of these events. This has to end!

And to those government officials that are fearful that the ACLU may step in and attempt to block any changes in law, I would ask them, "you want your child's blood on your hands?"

"While society continues to see these tragedies appearing too frequently, perhaps the leaders in government and law enforcement are approaching this problem the wrong way. We are dealing with a growing number of unbalanced individuals who have access to guns."
- Actually, this is what is transpiring with the assault weapons history in recent years (most prominently since the Brady Bill was allowed to expire). If we look at only this one cross section of violence we are not truly looking at the entire picture.
Poverty is the one known driver in the inner city and has contributed to handgun violence. Using your line of thinking should we also hand out more guns to those living in impoverished areas?
Perhaps your right and as Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, maybe we should follow your advise and "decrease the surplus population".

Just so you know, the last time (in this counrty) someone stormed a police station was in July in Anaheim. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/07/protesters-storm-anaheim-police-station.html

Mr. Burt - I guess your able to dismiss these 27 deaths as every day living in America. We are talking about the future of this country and young lives. Some in the aw enforcement community are getting the message from their elected leaders that the schools must tighten up security - what is more valuable than young children? Are we to wait for the next school to be hit or a nursing home or even a church? All the gun laws in the world will not stop these people. When they are out of their heads, anything is possible. Perhaps the question that needs to be asked is, "how much is a child's life worth? We all know that answer!

IMHO we as a society, and as individuals need to look deeper at the root of these recent tragedies. Many have the common denominator of young men who are effected by a similar type of brain disorder. We listened and learned quite a bit in the past few days in regard to the specific brand of brain illness effecting these young men. My hope is that more light will shine on this issue and more awareness of the services/treatments required to keep these individuals out of the general population. My hope is that residential facilities with trained mental heath AND professional security personnel will be in place at these homes to keep identified threats off our streets. .

Certainly some new gun control measures are in order as well. IMO semi-automatics having the capability to delivery 100's of bullets in just a few seconds do not belong in the hands of the general public. Military, police and professional security should be the only ones allowed access. Hunting and home protection type weapons still should be accessible. It's all in the details/the nuances of the type of weapon. I believe their is a balance that can be struck. Other issues that need to be addressed - parenting responsibility. Why so many parents allow their children to watch movies, listen to music, view television programming, and play video games that desensitize the value of human life is something I have never understood. My hope is that this and other incidents like this are a wake-up call that will FINALLY jolt more into a paradigm shift on all the pieces in play in this tragic puzzle

thanks @tonka!.....i'm def no gun expert....and am happy to hear that these are are already illegal. I am sure the ammo experts will make better distinctions between guns that are okay for hunting and reasonable home protection and others that are the killing machines that should be in the hands of the pros only. That is what I hope in the weeks and months ahead will be a meaningful part the the gun control solution portion of the issue.