Is it finally time to have an honest conversation about gun violence?

Let me start by saying I’m a gun owner, an Ohio CCW permit holder and the father of three young children.   And the events in Connecticut today DO NOT leave me conflicted.

When I hear that 20 innocent children are slaughtered by some nutjob out east, the first thing that crosses my mind is not: “holy crap!  They are coming for my guns.”  It’s: “what can we do to prevent this from happening ever again.”

The last time we had a serious conversation about guns in our country was the early 90’s when conservative icon Ronald Reagan, who survived an assassination attempt outside a DC hotel, came out in support of the Brady Bill.   Reagan’s support changed the minds of many Republicans who ended up voting for the bill – including our current governor John Kasich.

To be clear, I’m not (necessarily) proposing a gun ban, or adding security guards to schools, or locking up everyone who seems a little bit “off”.  I’m not saying we should arm grade school teachers or put metal detectors in the entrance of every kindergarten or add more “God” to our schools.

To be quite honest, like the rest of America, I don’t know the answer, but I do know that we need to do SOMETHING.

Like any problem that needs to be solved, the first step is actually admitting there IS a problem.   And until we get past that step, we are doomed to repeat today’s events ad infinitum.