Are Guns The Problem?

      All Swiss males between the ages of 20 and 30 are issued automatic rifles by the government, trained in their use, and required to maintain and keep them in their homes. Furthermore, recreational shooting is very popular in Switzerland and gun permits are readily available to most anyone over the age of 18.

      So, shouldn't we expect that living in a 'gun culture' like that, most Swiss would be like... swiss cheese? And yet, not only are most Swiss citizens relatively intact, but gun crime in Switzerland is actually very rare.

      "Guns are the problem! Guns aren't the answer!"

      Why is it that people who think that way, when they get into trouble, the first thing they ask for is guns? and people who know how to use them.

      Next time the U.N. has a conference, we'll put social workers on all those overpasses on the FDR Drive. After all, 'Sharpshooters are not the answer.'

      And in the schools, why does it have to be a choice between 'mandated' or 'forbidden?' Those are the only two choices? You must do it or you're not allowed to do it? What country are we living in anyway?

      We don't have to force teachers to carry guns and we don't have to outlaw them. Just allow anyone who knows how to use a gun (retired police, military, etc.) or wants to take the training, just allow them to carry. There are a lot of adults in every school. Have a dress code where every adult has to wear a jacket (maybe not such a bad idea anyway) and let the bad guys try and figure out who's packing what.

      And we can do the same in movie theaters, shopping malls, etc.

      Want to try screening out the mentally ill who want guns?  Good luck in figuring out the ones that are too dangerous to be allowed to buy a gun. And remember, a few years back,   homosexuality was also listed as a mental disorder.