There’s really only one way to stop these senseless massacres of innocent people: bring about a ban on privately owned firearms. If there are no easy access to guns, and harsh penalties for the contravention of the ban, things will start to change.

I read this morning that only a single example of an amendment to the US Constitution was repealed: the eighteenth amendment (ratified 1920) made it illegal to produce, transport or sell alcohol, which was repealed in 1933 by the twenty-first amendment, making it okay to booze it up again. If a constitutional right could be changed back in the early 20th century, surely the same mechanism could be used now?

As a society, we have to move forward, we have to make a collective stand to change things that were okay back in the day may not be okay now. Majority rules, right? Isn’t that how a democracy works? Just off the top of my head, the entire world’s collective view on slavery, Nazi symbolism, mixed race relationships, racial discrimination and segregation, homosexuality and woman rights all changed in very recent times: surely any clear-thinking person could see that if you remove all the guns (or make it REALLY, REALLY difficult to obtain firearms and ammunition) would make for pointless mass-murders to become less common than they are now.

Closer to home, a referendum on ending apartheid was held in the early 90s, where 69% of white South Africans voted in favour of political reform. I like to think that 23 years later, the people who voted ‘no’ back in 1992 have become a bit more used to the idea, and have, despite not liking the rule, accepted it and moved on. I’d like to see something similar with gun control. Let’s see *something*: even a 20 year plan to phase out guns and ammunition for private ownership is better than no plan at all.

In my mind, and with my limited understand of how US politics work, is how easy it is for big business to influence political decisions by lobbying for legislation to suit their bottom line. There’s a very thin line (if a line at all) between lobbying and bribing. The reform needs to start there.

I refuse to believe that more than 50% of the American population are in favour of pretty much unregulated access to firearms. Can they please start with a referendum, like we had in 1992, to kickstart the process of a more sane society?