After the gunfire - only silence ...

There was a very poignant Tandberg cartoon in "The Age" on 18 December 2012 entitled "Class of 2012 - When will they ever learn?" portraying an empty classroom and an American flag. Mere words cannot describe the depth of the tragedy of the slaughter of 26 innocents in Newport, Connecticut early in December 2012. Reading the paper the following day I was shocked to discover that there are at least 300 million guns for 310 million Americans, and that every day 80 people are shot to death in the US. As one politician proclaimed, "we are killing each other". It is beyond comprehension why any average person would need a semi-automatic weapon. It only takes one bullet to kill someone. 

Despite my own political inclinations, I still commend the courageous stance of former conservative Prime Minister John Howard in successfully campaigning for the banning and buy-back of semi-automatic weapons in Australia following the Port Arthur massacre. I also lived very close to the scene of the mass shootings in Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill, and still remember going to the railway station the next morning and seeing blood stains on the platform and trying to comprehend an incomprehensible tragedy. As much as I would love to explore all that America has to offer in terms of culture and scenery, I am way to scared to go there - 300 million guns can't be good - all it takes is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you too could be a victim ...

I commend the article which appeared in "The Age" on 18 December entitled "Gun glamour: America's appetite for anarchy". One can only hope that this time politicians from the President down will have the courage and intestinal fortitude to make meaningful and lasting change to the gun culture that has caused over a million Americans to die from gun-related violence since the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King in 1968. I also commend the article by Rob Harris on 20 December, "I just can't let my little boys play with toy guns any more". Many more excellent articles followed on subsequent days.