I prefer to let all the facts come through before we prescript political solutions. Or counter-spinning over an outdated, ill-fitted Amendment for the 21st Century America. (Like that one banning the government from making citizens house soldiers.) I won't comment (if at all) until then. Knowing America, we'll lose interest in this story within a week in favor of Kim Kardashian's big (beautiful) ass again.

Consider that one report out there that the alleged shooter's mother legally owned those guns, but didn't leave them locked. Whether that's true or Internet BS passed off as news, we'll find out. (Hey remember when news actually investigated news and not just copy off blogs?)

But from the reports I've read, I got a broad question to ask: Why are Assault Weapons legal to buy?

That's something I just don't understand. It's one thing to buy a handgun or even a shotgun I suppose for home/self defense, but this is America. We're not Syria or Mexico where you need such hardware to protect yourself from armed bandits or rebels/government thugs. Crime has gone done in America steadidly for decades. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

My fellow BB.Neters who live in the NYC/NJ region, or any Metropolitan area for that matter, do you own one? Do you feel like you need one to feel safe from the streets? For that matter, why do rural area rednecks (who would have more a practical use for some guns than urban residents) need that much firepower to save themselves from Gophers? Jesus in East Tennessee, as damn redneck as you possibly can be, you know what the greatest local danger is? The random Meth head, the rare occassional robbery/murder. How rare? I'm sure for the Tri-Cities (where I live) to match up just the NYC area's murder rate per month, it'll take about 20 years. That might be too conservative.

President Clinton in '94 signed a 10 year ban on assault weapons, which the GOP Congress in '04 didn't renew. I had no problems with that ban. Never once have I heard a convincing argument for not renewing it.

It's one thing to accept the principle of ownership of guns, since we are stuck with that Constitutional Amendment. But it's another to believe it has no limits, which is both foolish, wreckless, and just wrong. The above poster's link is correct, it's the only Amendment that gets this treatment.

The first Amendment doesn't allow you to scream FIRE! in a movie theatre. If you falsely do and somebody gets hurt/killed, guess what? You're going to jail.

Amendments that gave the right to vote to 18 year olds and beyond, women, and black citizens are null and void when said eligible voters commit crimes which strip them of their voting rights.

The 4th Amendment, protection against unlawful search and seizure, is superceded by the Patriot Act, which is still in effect until no longer renewed. (Which is never.)

The SCOTUS ruled in Lincoln's right to suspend Habeaus Corpus, guaranteed by the 5th Amendment, during the Civil War.

And so forth.