[The View From Washington]
On Friday December 14 the small central Connecticut town of Newtown was subjected to an unimaginable horror.
Adam Lanza murdered 20 school children between the ages of 5 – 10 years old and 6 teachers who gave their lives trying to protect them. The 27th victim was Nancy Lanza, Adam’s mother; he killed her and also turned his gun on himself. In all, 27 people lost their lives at or near the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. He then killed himself.
Our entire nation is in shock again as it grapples with the aftermath of another mass murder. Most recently, on July 20th James Holmes walked into a movie theater in Aurora, CO and killed twelve; on August 5th Wade Michael Page walked into a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and killed six; on September 27 in Minneapolis, MN five people were killed when Andrew J. Engeldinger walked into his former workplace and opened fire.
During his remarks in Newtown President Obama said, "Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?" And added, "I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough, and we will have to change."
The President is correct. We’re not doing enough. Elected representatives such as President Obama and NY Mayor Bloomberg have correctly said that these tragedies must end. Honestly, they won’t. In a democracy where individual liberty is sacrosanct, there’s no law or other government action that can prevent a deranged individual from exacting revenge on innocent victims.
What a sensible society can do is make it much
