Assault Rifles

Many countries choose to arm their civilians.   That has been the case in our country.   As Americans we have immigrated from countries where atrocities are committed by governments.   The people have no way of defending themselves.  In such countries the guns are only in the hands of gangs, the government, bandits or criminals. That is not the case in the United States. 

We have had many mass tragedies including school shootings, tragedies including small children at Sandy Hook. One of my colleagues has a sister who was a witness in the Sandy Hook school when the shooting took place. A civilized society should not have to accept mass shootings. Research on causes for gun violence-especially by young, lone and untrained gunmen-should be funded by the National Institutes of Health and recommendations should be used to help assess causes and prevent such tragedies.