2nd Amendment needs changing

By Jane Han

The morning I heard of the gun shooting in Newtown, Conn., I experienced a split second of sharp panic. The site of the massacre, less than an hour away from where I live, wasn’t some random place I didn’t know. It was all too relatable and familiar, giving me a wakeup call that this really can happen to anyone ― and I’m no exception.

I go to the mall, theater, school and a bunch of other public places on a daily basis, so does that mean I should be trembling and shaking in fear of a sudden assault every time I’m out and about?

Considering how nervous I was during the entire running time of ``The Dark Knight Rises’’ just after the Colorado theater rampage, it’s likely I’ll be on extra cautionary mode for at least a little while. But for most people, it’s business as usual.

Words can’t express the incredibly tragic shooting in Newtown that took the lives of 20 innocent and helpless children and seven adults. But the sad truth is, gun violence has now become a frequent headliner in the U.S.

Does this mean we’re eventually going to grow numb to the atrocity of gun violence, just like the way many people are now to routine bombings and killings committed far away in Iraq and Pakistan?

God forbid, let’s hope not.

When it comes to guns in the U.S., at the end of the day, the problem always boils down to the age old question: guns or no guns?

Of course, there’s a separate debate that evil, violent and sick people with a purpose to kill will find a way to fulfill their mission with or without a ban on firearms. But that argument can’t stop Americans from revisiting their guns laws yet again. And this time, the general consensus is that there is a sea change in people’s attitude.

Polls, one after another, are showing that a significantly higher number of Americans want tighter gun laws in the aftermath of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

A Washington Post/ABC News survey found that 54 percent of Americans now favor stricter gun control laws, the highest level in at least five years. Forty-three percent say the opposite.

Some might be surprised at why so many Americans still support guns even after a series of recent tragedies. But keep in mind, this is the U.S., a country where an estimated 270 million guns are privately held, giving it the highest gun ownership per capita.

The right to bear arms is built into the Constitution and deeply rooted in their culture. Do the minutemen and cowboys in the Wild West ring a bell?

Craig R. Whitney, author on gun control, once wrote, ``America grew up with guns.’’ Now, that should sum up how close guns are to Americans.

So bearing this in mind, the latest shift in people’s perception deserves attention. Now only if policymakers will do something about it.

A re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama seems to be fired up against guns, as he vowed last week to do ``everything’’ in his power to control guns. But as we know all too well, the president can’t do this all by himself.

We have the Democrats, the Republicans and the powerful National Rifle Association lobby group that have long made firearms one of the most hotly contested issues on Capitol Hill.

Will politicians do more than just talk this time around?

In the past, proposals on gun laws often ended up getting buried over time. But observers say the current momentum may actually turn new proposals into law. It’s all about timing.

Gun advocates are trying to stall a national debate that seems unavoidable because they know that the fresh memory of the Newtown horror will get things quickly against them.

Whether Newtown could be a tipping point for U.S. gun control will depend on the next few months. We’ll just have to hope no other innocent life is taken in the meantime.