Guns Aren't the Problem

We share the staff's distress in the wake of the Littleton tragedy. And we concur that more must be done to keep weapons out of the hands of juveniles. However, the staff lets its emotion cloud its reason when it makes vague, blanket demands for stricter gun control legislation.

The staff writes that "handguns have no place in American society". Clearly, this is hyperbolic. Law-abiding adults interested in self-defense might surely make legitimate use of a handgun.

There are many complicated factors that fed into the tragedy in Littleton. It is too easy to simply blame guns and fall back on standard gun-control rhetoric. Rather, concerned citizens ought to look deeper and discern the less obvious forces that are feeding this country's epidemic of violence. --Noah D. Oppenheim '00   Adam M. Taub '02