Gun Control - What's Next?

Let's say we do pass an assault weapons ban and other measures to make us feel like we're doing the right thing.  When the next Tuscon, Aurora, or Newtown tragedy does happen what will we do then?  Will we admit the measures we took in 2013 were ineffective?  No, we will probably say we didn't go far enough, or we will say that without the 2013 measures the current tragedy would have been worse.  Ultimately we will feel the need to pass another round of gun control measures, and slowly but surely, our rights will be regulated away.

This provokes a philosophical thought.  Which is worse, to have an innocent person killed by a gun, and the victim chose to be unarmed, or an innocent person killed with a non gun weapon and they were unarmed by law and could have protected themselves if they had a gun?

The right to be stupid

While John Kerry was in Germany he said that Americans have the right to be stupid.  The following is taken directly from the Reuters website (even the unfortunate grammatical error).

"The reason is, that's freedom, freedom of speech. In American you have a right to be stupid - if you want to be," he said, prompting laughter. "And you have a right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be.

He's absolutely right, but I would take it one step further.  In America we have the right to realize the consequences of our stupidity.  We don't have that right currently.  You can be stupid, but then the govt steps in and saves you from the consequences of your stupidity, the one thing that might prevent you from being stupid again in the future.  And the "right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be"?  That seems to directly contradict the notion that we're "All in this together", or "Nobody got rich on their own", or "Shared sacrifice".  If I knew John Kerry was such an individualist, I would have voted for him instead of George Bush.