NO WAY

I know that will be the response of loyal reader Jim when he reads my confession: I have never fired a gun. An avid hunter, Jim will be astonished that a good ole Southern Illinois bred boy never went hunting or to the practice range. But it's true.

Although my father and brother never hunted, I had several buddies that did, but I just would rather play ball. I liked to fish, though I was pretty inept at that, but hunting just never appealed to me. I loved to read about hunting; I gained an appreciation about tracking big game when we safaried in South Africa, but like sky diving and parasailing, I opted out.

I've always supported the NRA, although I did question why the assault rifle ban was an issue for them. But with more and more school shootings, the most recent at NIU, I am re-visiting my position (that's polito-ease for flip flopping, isn't it?). I mean the shooter had all the documentation, had legally obtained the weapons used, had followed all the proceedures and still killed people and ruined lives.

So maybe in the day, the Second Amendment worked. Today in our culture, I'm afraid it doesn't. I believe the name of the book and movie was Richie. It was about a father who shot and killed his teenage son when the son was high on drugs. A small newspaper writer spawned the book and movie after getting permission from his editor who had at first denied it in 1970 or so; he said, "another drug related death--there's no story there." But the author persisted, "No, you see it was the father killing the son, his son, his seed--that doesn't happen."

Well, it does now, in today's post-modern, humanistic, deny God society. And just maybe the Second Amendment needs ammending.