The horrific shooting Wednesday at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale, renews the debate on gun control.
Tragically, 17 students and staff members were murdered and several others were hospitalized, some in critical condition, when a former student, Nikolas Cruz, 19, went on a rampage with an AR-15 assault rifle. It has been reported that the shooter was mentally disturbed, had been expelled from the high school for disciplinary reasons and was considered weird by fellow students and others who knew him. He also had reportedly been receiving treatment at a mental health clinic for a while.
Apparently, Cruz purchased the weapon legally a year ago, which begs the question, why should a teenager with mental problems be allowed to buy any gun, let alone an assault rifle? Wednesday’s Valentine’s Day massacre will certainly bring to a boil again the issue of the public’s right to bear arms.
Although that right is guaranteed in the second amendment to the Constitution, the question has been asked, how far does it go? Should it allow for the possession of any and all weapons? Probably not – certainly bazookas, large machine guns, and the like should not be included. But currently, assault rifles such as AK-47s and AR-15s, which feature magazines with multiple bullets, are legal.
We absolutely defend the right to own handguns, rifles and shotguns. These can be used for hunting or the defense on one’s self, family and property. But we can see no reason to legalize weapons that can fire dozens or even hundreds of rounds a minute. That goes far beyond the need for protection or hunting.
Having said that, curbing the sale of firearms will not alone solve the problem of mass killings. These heinous crimes will unfortunately continue to occur whether by the use of guns, bombs, vehicles, machetes or other means of murder. Citizens must be vigilant and report to law enforcement officials any odd behavior of people and any information they obtain on the possibility of criminal activity in the planning process. So, too, should mental health professionals be allowed to alert police if they suspect a patient is about to commit a terrible crime.