Post Newtown: Time to Just Ban Everything?

Perhaps the Christmas 2012 season was bloodier than normal — or perhaps December 14th’s particularly heinous Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in suburban Newtown, Connecticut only makes it seem so. In any case, lots of people died violently over several pre-holiday weeks. And, adding to the awfulness, the widespread reaction has been an exasperatingly predictable  exercise in distraction and misdirection. 

Actually, to clarify: it’s the reaction to the Connecticut atrocity that’s been vocally wrongheaded. December’s other outbreaks of firearms carnage have, by comparison, been forgotten pretty quickly by the national press and commentariat. 

The full version of this column is now only available in Doug Giles’ book, “Sandy Hook Massacre: When Seconds Count, The Police Are Minutes Away”.