Things I've Learned Since the Newtown Massacre

1. Gun enthusiasts know the difference between magazines and clips and automatic action and all such weaponry nomenclature. I don't, but I am learning. I did not know that the curved thing sticking out of the movie guns is a magazine. I learned that when David Gregory of NBC's Meet The Press held one up during his interview with the N.R.A.'s Wayne LaPierre a few weeks ago. Those curved pieces of plastic make a gun deadly in seconds. We need to ban them.

2. Nobody talked about what happened to the bodies of those children. In movies, things come apart when an automatic weapon is fired. The media spared the public details of the carnage. It is no wonder our president cried as he addressed the nation right after the Newtown massacre. It is no wonder that there was a look of horror on the faces of the law enforcement people at the school.

3. There is no one definition of a semi-automatic weapon. There are many, many kinds of these guns. There are many brands of guns. Guns are a bigger business than pet food or diapers, I'm guessing. And the business of guns is deeply embedded in American culture.

4. I have never set foot in a Walmart because I did not agree with their tactics on how they moved mega stores into rural America. We lost a lot of small businesses in our small towns when Walmart moved in. My non-presence in Walmart is not a big deal. Obviously, they get along without me or my dollars.

The recently revealed fact that Walmart is the nation's largest, and probably most accessible, seller of guns and ammunition gives me yet another reason to avoid their aisles.

5. The background check system is broken. Some reports say that the records that show that a background check was performed are destroyed by the gun seller within 48 hours of the check.  40% of gun sales are at gun shows, or occur between two private individuals. There are no background checks required for these sales.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler