A lone gunman walks into a school in Sandy Hook and opens fire on a crowd of terrified teachers and students: men, women and children. They died as a result of a man who had reached his breaking point for whatever reason, similar to the Columbine incident in 1997 where two young men, armed to the teeth, staged as massacre at Columbine High School, as well as the theater shooting where a young man opened fire on a crowded theater.

In today’s world, the sad truth is that it seems we all feel the need to be protected from an enemy that hides in plain sight. This controversial issue of gun control is nothing new; in fact, it was first spoken of before 1776 when the Constitution was created. The Founding Fathers thought it ludicrous to include the Second Amendment in the bill of rights because in their time, even the thought that someone would try to take their firearms was unfathomable. The Second Amendment reads:

“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

I believe at the moment, Congress is failing to read the last four words.

Now, there is a call to ban all weapons which have a “high-capacity magazine.” The logic here seems unshakable; the fewer rounds you have at your disposal, the fewer deaths that can result. Provocative thought, however, that those who argue this point conveniently miss the action of reloading! Let us believe that a gunman is armed with an AR-15 assault weapon, with 10-round magazines opposed to 30. Is there a reason that person would not simply load a few extra 10-round magazines to make up the difference? Sure, a law could be instituted to prevent such things but let us be realistic here — laws only work for those of us who play by the rules.

The United States also has a larger incarcerated population per capita than any other country in the world. The way I interpret that is that we have many folks who simply do not play by the rules. It is quite like the one person who always seems to end up with a mountain of cash as the banker while playing Monopoly.

It is clear that something must be done. However, banning weapons is simply not the answer. On its own, the inanimate object is not dangerous. I personally have three weapons in my home, and I have yet to walk into a situation where my AR-15 is holding my cat hostage. I have yet to hear about an incident where the employees of Bass Pro or Cabellas run for their lives as the weapons break out of their cages and start firing volleys into shoppers. The point here is, as an inanimate object, weapons are simply well-engineered pieces of metal designed to perform a certain action. In the case of a firearm, the purpose is to cause a round of ammunition to fire in a controlled manner and in the way intended. Where that round goes is up to the person behind the trigger. That is where we should be focusing on making improvements in our society today.

The time has come that we can no longer cast those who are struggling with mental illnesses to the wayside; we should, as citizens of humanity, help those who are struggling. Let us not concentrate on gun control, as that is simply not the problem. It is more than coincidental that firearms were used in all of these incidents, but humans have been killing each other ever since we discovered rocks. Perhaps it is time to halt foreign aid, and use those funds within our own borders to help our loved ones, our youth, our veterans and our future.