Imagine the dismay and revulsion, and great confusion our Founding Fathers would have expressed at the killing of 20 first-graders and others by one person in just minutes. They would cry out in astonishment, “Not possible!” You see, a trained soldier of the 1790s, armed with a smoothbore flintlock musket, was expected to fire off a shot every 20 seconds. He had to get out a cartridge, tear it open with his teeth, put a little bit of powder in the firing mechanism, put the rest of the powder and a ball down the barrel, ram the ball and powder home, cock the musket and fire; of course, also pray it was a good day and the ball hit something.
The murders of innocents by gunman Adam Lanza were intentional, focused, and unspeakably evil, and sick. What of the repeal of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, the sales of assault rifles and oversized magazines, and the gun show loophole? More importantly what about every conspiracy theory that fires up paranoia, hate, bigotry, and makes trigger fingers itchy and in need of a warm gun and a target? Intentional, focused, unspeakably evil, and sick.
Jim Comrada
Vancouver