Dingell's wife and likely successor provided talking point to NRA after Newtown.

[RandySF]

Sound familiar?

Since last week’s shootings, our country is once again shocked at another senseless tragedy for which there is no rationalization or explanation. Unless we change the conversation, we will not find the answers.

Demonizing the NRA or gun owners in general gets us nowhere. A fresh round of old proposals for gun-control laws won’t work and will be followed by the renewed frustration of different factions going to their respective corners to fight instead of seeking real solutions.

We, as Americans, need to be willing to acknowledge that we have serious social problems and have to get at the root causes for so many of these horrific scenes: mental illness, failing educational systems, lack of job opportunities, the disintegration of families. We need communities more willing to identify behavior problems early on, to express zero tolerance for bullying, to implement processes that protect individual liberties yet flag potential problems.

Most important, we must remove the stigma of mental illness so that those who need help get help. We need law enforcement agencies that understand problems when they are identified, along with systems that support parents, teachers and employers in intervening and getting help to those who need it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gun-control-fights-wont-solve-the-real-issue/2012/12/20/18e853de-49fe-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_story.html

[mwrguy]

1. We don't need another squish on gun safety

We need another McCarthy.

[aikoaiko]

2. Concerned parties have been talking about the need to improve mental health care long before Newtown

But she was right.

Demonization of gun owners failed.

Tired old gun control proposals failed.

We need people who address core issues in Congress.