Another killing spree...

They appear in the news so often now it's almost routine...almost.  Yet again another lunatic lets loose on hapless victims this time killing 12.

Here's what we know so far:
He was a documented nut case.
He had a 'secret' security clearance from the U.S. Navy in spite of having been discharged for insubordination, in spite of having previous brushes with the law and in spite of documented mental problems.
Add to that, he managed to obtain an AR15 long gun but according to the latest reports it is not clear as to whether or not it was the one responsible for the deaths.  A shotgun may have also been involved.

The other night I attended  a social occasion with two other couples. The women were in the other room talking and the men were in the kitchen just finishing a game of pinochle.  The other two men were life-long members of the NRA but in all respects reasonable, thoughtful men who were as unhappy with the situation as anyone could be.

Not surprising they are both advocates of the 2nd Amendment.  They both observed that curtailing the rights of law abiding citizens was not going to solve any problems and that the hysteria surrounding gun control advocates is, well, just that-hysteria and a knee-jerk reaction to all these horrible incidents.  They went on further to observe the fact that there appeared to be so little being done to address the mental disorders that cause these tragedies.  I confess to believing they are partially correct.

The point I made however was that had there been UNIVERSAL background checks which the NRA leadership opposes, this individual at least and perhaps many more would have been discovered.

Here's another thing:  An AR 15 is not a hunting rifle nor is it used in shooting sports activities such as trap and skeet.  It is an assault rifle designed for the purpose of killing people-period!  It has no other use.

So while we're trying to sort out the various issues involved in these events, doesn't it seem reasonable to at least  disarm the lunatics out there to as great an extent as possible?  Don't worry, gun-rights advocates, you can still have your rifles, shotguns and hand guns but if you want an AR15 you're going to have to be a soldier or a law enforcement person.  No one else needs one.