Mass shootings must be stopped. They happen so much less often in other countries that we must be missing the point. We love our cowboy image but this is no longer the wild west. Without extensive training and practice, if you get into a shoot- out, there is a good chance you will die. If you manage to kill or wound an intruder, the legal bills could well bankrupt you. Protecting yourself and your family is less the reason to have arms than to make you feel stronger.

 Sigmund Freud thought all men wanted to believe in their most powerful phallus, and a gun is a likely representation of one. The Second Amendment does not guarantee gun ownership for everyone, but protects the right to have arms to join a militia, presumably to protect the country. We need to have good laws protecting the right to own guns for peaceful purposes to end this notion that the government is always about to take away our guns. We must keep guns and especially assault rifles away from the loonies. Republicans should stop obstructing and join with Democrats to formulate the legislation we need. Background checks would help but assault rifles are useless toys for a man to feel like he has the biggest phallus in town.