I am saddened and angered by the mass shooting in Orlando this past weekend. What I am about to write will probably upset and anger some people, but bear with me.
I will not offer prayers... Prayers and sentiments are small consolation to those who lost loved ones; to those who were injured. They fix nothing. They make us feel better, but they don't really help those affected by the senseless and cowardly act of violence. They don't help those who grieve.
I am not cold hearted. I am not uncaring. I care very deeply for the safety of ordinary citizens doing the everyday things we do. I care about the safety of people while they are having fun. We should not have to be hyper vigilant while shopping, working, having fun, etc... well, living. But...
We need solutions, but I'm not sure there are any solutions to this problem.
[Before I continue, let me say that 1) I believe it is a constitutional right for US citizens to own and carry guns. 2) I do not see the need for civilians to own assault rifles (like the M16) or assault like rifles (like the AR-15). 3) You can make a case for owning an assault rifle for protection, but with proper training, a .45 is perfectly capable of taking down a madman. 4) I don't have a problem with requiring a person to take a weapons training course and requiring a license to own and carry a gun. We require these things before allowing someone to legally drive a car. Why shouldn't we require these things before allowing someone to own a gun? At least we'll reduce the number of acts of stupidity - like accidentally shooting oneself or not knowing how to properly unload a gun and accidentally shooting someone else.]
If you think stricter gun laws, bans on assault rifles, bans on high capacity ammunition magazines, laws preventing people on watch lists from buying weapons, requiring licenses for gun ownership, etc. will solve the problem, you're disillusioned.
None of those will prevent what happened in Orlando, in San Bernardino, in Sandy Hook from happening again. If someone wants a gun, an assault rifle, a 50-round ammunition magazine, etc., that person will find a way to get it. They won't get a license for the gun. It won't matter if they are on a list.
The government cannot put 100% surveillance on every person suspected to have ties to terrorism 100% of the time. We don't have the manpower or money to do that.
Arming everyone in the US won't solve the problem either, despite what some people may claim.
There is no existing law, no expired law, no law yet to be written that can prevent the next mass shooting.
The axiom remains true... Haters gonna hate. And I don't know how you fix that. I don't know that you can. And that makes me sad. And angry.