While memorial and funeral services continue for the victims of the tragedy in Newtown, CT, the debate on gun control has begun with the NRA's news conference today.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/21/us/connecticut-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=us_c1

I believe there is a tendency to over-react in the wake of tragic events such as these shootings although some would argue that overreacting would be impossible. But, what I hope transpires in the wake of these mass murders is a decisive, yet common sense approach.

What would that "common sense" approach look like?  First off, we still do have a 2nd Amendment in this country.  We have a number of law abiding citizens who are hunting enthusiasts.  We have thousands of citizens who legally keep a gun at home for personal and family protection.  Therefore it is not reasonable to ban ALL guns and we should continue to allow those citizens who meet a stricter criteria to own those type of guns for sport and personal protection purposes.

However, assault  and combat style weapons and those handguns with large capacity magazines capable of spraying hundreds of bullets in seconds have no place in our society and should be banned and enforcement of the thousands of gun laws already on the books, stepped up!

Gun control does NOT equate to gun elimination.

I don't understand how ANYONE can think civilians owning assault/combat style weapons is a good idea.  "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" is a tired cliche that has now fallen on deaf ears in the wake of not only the Newtown murders but a growing list of similar tragedies. The problem is, bad people with the capability of mass carnage can get their hands on firearms way too easily today.

Preventing another Sandy Hook also means we need to take a much closer look at mental illness in this country and especially as it relates to a sick person's access to firearms.  Individual background checks aren't enough today.  We need to take into consideration ALL who live where the gun will be stored.  If someone is mentally unstable, the entire gun application should be rejected.

Times are drastically different today then they were when our founding fathers drafted the Bill of Rights and our Constitution.  Those documents need to keep pace when our society has dramatically changed and sadly, Sandy Hook offers up all the proof we need to see that society has changed, and tragically, this time, not for the better.

CJ