I'll try to make this quick. I usually keep quiet about politics because I realize I'm not going to change anyone's mind with a tweet, post, or conversation... and it wears me out.
I do want to make a point that I think is basic to the idea of improving society by outlawing harmful things (drugs, alcohol, firearms).
Criminals are, by definition, not law-abiding citizens. This means that they have a proclivity not to obtain things in a legal manner because they do not intend to use them in a legal fashion.
Outlawing firearms or enacting stricter laws on firearms will not eliminate the problem because criminals do not adhere to the law. The problem the human race has is that we are trying to legislate safety and good behavior by addressing the symptoms and not the disease. The issue is that you cannot legislate the human heart.
Violence is not the problem, drug use is not the problem; they are symptoms of the problem. Until our nations (not just governments, but citizens) acknowledge that fact, little progress will be made in making the world a safer place, regardless of how many laws, regulations, codes and restrictions are enacted.
Now, I agree that there should be laws governing firearms, outlawing narcotics, etc., but if anyone thinks tougher laws will solve the problems caused by our sinful nature, I believe they are sadly mistaken.
