Guns, their owners are problem

Following the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., people asked the usual questions. Why did Adam Lanza do it? What was his motive? Were there warning signs? Could this shooting have been prevented?

Thousands of hours and millions of dollars will be spent to understand how this incident could have happened when the answer is clear.

The easy access to high-capacity, semi-automatic handguns and long guns means that any angry individual with a grudge can commit mass murder at will wherever people gather.

The primary weapon used in this shooting was a Bushmaster AR15-type semi-automatic assault rifle, the civilian version of the M16 used by U.S. soldiers. Equipped with multiple pre-loaded, high-capacity ammunition magazines, a shooter of this weapon can achieve firing rates of more than 100 rounds a minute.

Gun violence is with us every day. On average, about 30 Americans are murdered by guns each day in the United States.

Sadly, given the firepower of new guns and the state of gun ownership in the United States, more mass shootings are predictable and inevitable. The problem is guns and the people with the guns.

John Johnson

Former director,

Iowans for

Prevention of Gun Violence

Cedar Rapids