Lawyers, Guns and Knowledge...

For a lot of people, 2012 is a year they could have done without. Natural disasters that were off the scale, political idiocy, another 'apocalypse' panic and several heart-wrenching mass shootings. Too many people lost too many loved ones. Just when we thought we were getting out, with our tails between our legs, came the cruelest cut of all. Twenty first graders, along with six of their dedicated teachers, were gunned down in one of the most vicious massacres in American history.

I can't begin to imagine the sorrow that the families of these senselessly taken innocents will carry for the rest of their lives. The horror, grief and, yes, anger is radiating all over the world from this idyllic little town that will never be the same again.

The brokenhearted ask, "Why?" The shocked and angered ask, "What can be done?"

Along the outskirts of this tragedy, the camps are forming and the media is in hyperdrive. What to do about guns? What to do about schools? What to do about the mentally ill?

The ghouls and the bottom feeders are also coming out from under their rocks. At least one person has already been arrested for scamming donations in the name of one of the fallen children. Emotions are running high. Unfortunately, nothing realistic has followed any statement that has started with, "This wouldn't have happened if..."

One talk show pundit suggested a national database of the mentally ill. This is after we just spent the last twenty years convincing people with PTSD and Clinical Depression that they have a disease no different than diabetes or cancer and that they should not be embarrassed about coming forward to seek treatment.

The Hitler scenario is being brandished ("the first thing he did was take away everybody's guns") and Gun Free Zones are being cited as prime targets for future monsters.

Guns are not going to go away.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms regulates the three biggest arguably preventable killers in this country. 'Regulate' means revenue.

The Firearms Lobby is not going to stop throwing its drunk uncle money around any more or less than Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Big Booze and Big Whatever Else. They know how to play this game way better than the rest of us.

Well meaning, devastated and desperate people are trying to do something, anything, to prevent something like this from ever happening again. They feel helpless against this juggernaut. They search for language that will empower them. Unfortunately, they look towards the worst possible source for language empowerment- The Media.

The Media LOVES finding buzz words. They don't care exactly what they mean as long as they're in the ballpark. The more syllables the better. Yes, those must be the better words. These are the people who, in this age of WsMD (not WMDs, btw), really don't know what all this weapons grade uranium, plutonium, warhead, A-Bomb, H-Bomb stuff is all about, but 'thermonuclear' sounds really important.

They end up sounding like characters spouting the merits of the sports drink Brawndo in the movie Idiocracy.

They are not alone, it seems.

Major cities have gun 'buy back' programs in an effort to thwart some of the violence. These tend to be neighborhood versions of The Antique Road Show, as a lot of broken revolvers and showpieces that have been rendered unable to fire are the bill of fare at these events.

According to Bryan Suits, a Veteran and talk show host who knows a LOT about weaponry, the LAPD paid several hundred dollars (each) for two unloaded 'AT4' (short for 'eighty four' millimeter) rocket launchers. These are disposable weapons. You pull open the sights, fire the rocket inside and throw it away. These 'AT4s' were no more dangerous than the spent cardboard tubes of Roman candles. The LAPD bought themselves a couple of plastic pipes and, of course, the media was all, "Oooh. Rocket Launchers."

What am I trying to say here?

If you want to change something, it kind of helps to know what you're changing. Believe me, your opponents will make it clear very quickly that you don't know what the hell you're talking about.

Do you want to be an effective voice in firearms reform?

Take a firearms course.

Know what to say when somebody asks you what's the difference between a stripper clip and a box mag. Stop calling everything an AK-47 and, for the love of all things, take the time to learn what the hell is the difference between an automatic and a semi-automatic weapon.

Don't get me started about this 'assault weapon' vs. 'assault rifle' bullshit.

On top of everything else, you'll know what to do should you ever come across a firearm. I don't mean one being pointed at you in an alley. I mean not standing on a chair like a 1950's housewife who just saw a mouse until somebody comes to 'do something about it'.

Know how to safely pick up a gun and move it out of reach. Know if the safety is on or off. Know how to put said safety 'on'. Know how to unload a loaded weapon.

You can then stand on a chair all you want.

This is an emotional subject born of the mother of all emotional events, but level heads must prevail. I'm trying to think of an oh-so-clever 'laws don't kill people, people kill laws' sound byte on which to sign off. Nah, I think I've had enough catch phrases for 2012.