A friend of mine came back from Switzerland and told me some interesting stories. Basically, everyone there has a submachine gun in his possession at home because they are all conscripted and remain in the reserves.
Now, I think that is an oversimplification. I don't think everyone has one, but after reading up on it, I've learned that a very large number do have them in their homes.
The point? Well, they may have a high suicide rate, but not a particularly high rate of murder via the use of guns....which was his point in telling me about all the guns....
Compare that to what happened in Littleton yesterday. Is it the preponderance of guns that causes kids to do this stuff? Is it the music? Is it TV? What is it?
My guess - the abdication of responsibility on the part of parents to raise their kids properly. Today, we run to the arms of pharmaceutical companies for problems as diverse (and to some degree questionable) as ADD to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. These problems exist, but are not as common as you'd think. The issue is that we seek short term solutions that really require a longer time frame. As a result, kids come to view drugs as an acceptable solution to problems. They also recognize that this acceptance is an abdication of responsibility. End result - our kids cease to act in a responsible fashion.
How to solve this problem? Well, the easy solution is to ban guns and drugs. But, isn't the easy solution to problems what got us in trouble in the first place?
I cannot think of any solutions aside from one long, painful one. Education and information. Unfortunately, we would rather have the quick, seemingly painless solution. |
