The Costs of Political Vitriol and Lack of Gun Control

We are still awaiting the facts behind a motive for the shooting spree in Tucson yesterday. No matter what the motives turn out to have been, the savagery of the event should make it clear that (1) the incitement of hate coming principally from the right needs to stop, and (2) we need gun laws that keep automatic pistols and weaponry off the market. Sportsmen and hunters do not need such weapons and my view is that anyone with such automatic weapons may have a dangerous agenda. Yes, I am biased from experiences years ago when we could not safely ride horses on our own property because of lunatic hunters who trespassed at will. But the simple truth is that if the shooter had not had an automatic weapon, the death toll and injuries would have been much reduced. Here are highlights from a Washington Post story:
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The mass shooting Saturday morning that gravely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and killed a federal judge raised serious concerns that the nation's heated political discourse had taken a dangerous turn.
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The gunman shot Giffords in the head at close range and then continued to fire into the small gathering of people, police said. Police said they think that Giffords was the target of the attack.
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In an emotional news conference late Saturday, Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik (D) denounced the nation's vitriolic political climate and noted Arizona's part in the rancor after a controversial crackdown on illegal immigration.
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"The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital," Dupnik said. "We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry." The fiery rhetoric that has taken hold in politics, Dupnik said, "may be free speech, but it's not without consequences."
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Despite cautious optimism about Giffords's condition, former U.S. surgeon general Richard Carmona, a family friend of Giffords's, told reporters Saturday night that she could need further surgery. "This is a very devastating wound," Carmona said.
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Law enforcement sources said the gun used in the attack was fitted with a magazine that held about 30 bullets. The shooter had another magazine that held about 30 bullets and two that held about 15 bullets each, sources said, and he also had a knife. Reese Widmier, manager of the Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson, confirmed that the gun was sold by the store Nov. 30.
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Although Loughner's motive remained a mystery, the incident was viewed by many in the political world as a grim bookend to a bitterly contentious campaign season, in which Arizona and Giffords featured prominently.
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The up-and-coming lawmaker, known as a moderate Democrat who stayed in touch with her district, had been singled out by Sarah Palin's SarahPac as one of 20 Democrats representing states that supported Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president in 2008.
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Liberals on Saturday blamed the tea party movement's sometimes militant rhetoric: for example, Palin's telling supporters via Twitter, "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD," and Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle's advocating "second-amendment remedies" to some of the nation's problems.