A Gun Itself Doesn't Kill, But...

A gun alone does not kill anyone - it just sits there.

A gun in the hands of a person has a much better chance of hurting or killing someone - either the user of the gun or someone else.

A gun in the hands of a mentally unstable person has a much higher chance still of killing someone.

A gun that is extremely easy and affordable to get makes it easy for people - including mentally unstable people - to obtain and use...and that increases the chances of someone getting hurt.

An easy to get gun in the hands of a mentally unstable person who our public schools and healthcare system have failed to spot and help is a major threat to kill someone.

Mentally unstable people who our school and healthcare systems have failed to identify and help who have obtained an easy to buy gun continue to kill people in the U.S. Colombine and Virginia Tech are high profile examples.

And a mentally unstable person who has easy access to guns, who has not been helped by our public institutions and who listens to the increasingly hostile political rhetoric - particularly on the right - is a powder keg waiting to go off and kill people. This is what we saw in Tuscon last week.