Let's be honest?

At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, the Buckeye State lawmaker  John Boehner extended his sympathy to the families of the victims before stating, "let's be honest, there are about 250 million guns in America, so they are out there, but people should use them responsibly." House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) agreed that the deadly shooting was not likely to lead to tougher gun laws. Hoyer said the tragic shooting at Chardon High School near Cleveland — which left three teenage students dead and two others hospitalized with serious injuries — "brings attention" to the issue of gun reform, but entrenched opposition on Capitol Hill means no changes to the nation's gun laws are likely forthcoming. Even when Gabby Giffords, as US House Congressperson was shot point blank to the head, gun reform was still not on the table.  Last week, in Bremerton WA an 8 year old was shot when a 9 year old classmate had a cocked & loaded gun in his backpack (got it at his Moms house). Amina Bowerman is still in the hospital, having multiple surgeries. The bullet from the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol that shot the little girl remains  lodged in the muscles around her spine. Amina was shot in the arm, shattering those bones and  the bullet continued through her stomach, causing serious damage to her internal organs. The tragic shooting in Ohio where three students have died, is yet another reason for lawmakers to address the rampant, out of control gun situation in this country. These three students lost their lives this week,  while attending school. Daniel Parmentor, age 16  Russell King, age 17 Demetrius Hewln, age 16 Demetrius's parents have chosen to donate his organs, to help save other's lives.  Schools should not be crime scenes.  I will always remember hearing a Mom. saying someone said to her at her daughter's funeral "so sorry your daughter was in the wrong place & was killed". The more she thought about it, the Mom was incensed.  The child was NOT in the wrong place. She was in school, learning, doing what she should be dong. That is the tragedy, that these kids lives and their trust of the environment of education have been violated.  Why? While it may be simplistic to assume a straightforward "profile", the study did find certain similarities among the perpetrators.  "The researchers found that killers do not 'snap'. They plan. They acquire weapons. These children take a long, considered, public  path toward violence." Princeton's Katherine Newman has found that, far from being "loners", the perpetrators are "joiners" whose  attempts at social integration fail, and that they let their thinking and even their plans be known, sometimes frequently over long periods of time. Another reported similarity is that most of the perpetrators had been taking antidepressant drugs, which have a  documented history of producing violence and aggression as a side effect. The obvious answer is guns on the loose. When a 3rd grade student can simply find a gun at Mom's house and toss it in his backpack, and so many other students, the majority males, wind up with guns to act out their anger and issues. Extremely violent video games. Macho, tough guy toys & accessories for boys.  CLICK HERE TO SEE A SPREADSHEET OF SCHOOL SHOOTING INCIDENTS  Who are these politicians representing, when they shrug their shoulders, give obligatory condolences & add there's nothing that can be done about America's out of control gun problem? AFTER ALL WE REQUIRE STUDENTS TO GET VACCINATIONS FOR HEALTH SAFETY, WE HAVE SPECIAL SCHOOL ZONE DRIVING SPEED SAFETY, AND A MIRIAD OF OTHER SAFETY MEASURES, BUT WHAT'S THE POINT OF ALL THAT, IF NOTHING IS DONE TO ADDRESS THE GUN ISSUE?  I realize there is no way to guarantee guns or violence will never happen,  but right now, nothing is being done, so we can't hardly expect different results if we are not doing something different.  At the very minimum, some training info on gun safety- certainly not leaving loaded guns laying around so a 3rd grader can just walk off with it.  Also encouraging parents/adults, perhaps to the point of legal liability-- locking guns up.  Because leaving guns accessible is irresponsible. Ask any parent who had their child killed or injured or emotionally traumatized in a school shooting incident.  If we are going to be honest, we need to both admit there is a problem, and do something about it.