It's Time to Talk About Guns
Posted at 3:57 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2012
As the nation grapples with the heartbreaking news out of Connecticut, Ezra Klein calls for an end to the silence on gun control.
“If roads were collapsing all across the United States, killing dozens of drivers, we would surely see that as a moment to talk about what we could do to keep roads from collapsing. If terrorists were detonating bombs in port after port, you can be sure Congress would be working to upgrade the nation’s security measures. Only with gun violence do we respond to repeated tragedies by saying that mourning is acceptable but discussing how to prevent more tragedies is not. But that’s unacceptable.”
Marc Ambinder: “The answer to me is fairly obvious: Everyone who wants to have access to a gun can do so provided they register their weapon and get state-sanctioned training. The types of guns that people can carry on their persons ought to be limited to those made legitimately for self-defense. The gun show loophole should be closed; with the exception of family-to-family transactions or old weapons given as gifts, every sale or exchange of a weapon must be registered. The instant background check will be replaced for new gun owners with a state-approved training course that includes a more extensive background check.”
David Weigel notes that “the recent trend in gun laws has been toward expansion. Dramatically so.”
In President Obama’s tearful remarks on the shooting, he briefly noted that “we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”
