Violence and Gun Control.

his one got everyone’s attention…It took the slaughter of babies to finally get everyone’s attention. While we grieve the terrible massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, let’s not forget that many people, including many children die in gun violence every single day. We usually don’t hear about those events because they have become much too common. As a free society we will never be able to completely eliminate violence, but we can and should do everything in our power to make violent incidents, especially involving guns, as rare as possible. The United States is alone among Western nations with gun violence posing such a big problem. Our gun culture has made gun violence really the number one health issue. And we should treat it as such. We are faced with these three problems: 1. Too many guns.2. Too many people with access to guns.3. Not enough mental health care.The following are some ideas which I believe should be part of the national discussion:ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN. NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY outside of military and other law enforcement personnel should be able to own assault weapons. They are not designed for protection, but rather to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time, hence perfect weapons for mass shootings. The “Assault Weapons Ban” should be reinstated IMMEDIATELY. Further, a special buyback should be offered for those high-powered weapons. After a period of time it should be ILLEGAL to own such weapons. This law should be strictly enforced. A NATIONWIDE BUYBACK OFFER OF REGULAR HANDGUNS. It will not get rid of all guns, but it will take quite a few off the streets. Statistics have shown that in a home with a gun present, it is forty times more likely that a family member will die from that gun than an intruder. STRICT ENFORCEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF GUN CONTROL MEASURES. Anyone with a history of violence or mental health problems should never be able to legally purchase a gun.PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. If someone owns a gun, they are responsible for making that gun inaccessible to others, especially children (and especially troubled children). There has to be a strict enforcement mechanism to that law which would make that parent legally liable in case something happens.TAX AMMUNITION. Put a one/two/three thousand percent tax on ammunition. On every single bullet. Period.MENTAL HEALTH PARITY: Treat mental health with the seriousness it deserves. Make mental health care a mandatory part of general health care; have mental health services available the same way physical care is; and treat it as equally important.We can start to change IMMEDIATELY.