THE FUNERALS OF NEWTOWN CONNECTICUT MASS SHOOTING VICTIMS BEGIN YESTERDAY AND TODAY............

Two more of the Funerals for the shooting victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre last Friday in Newtown, Connecticut; will be held today, as they were for two of the six and seven years killed yesterday and will continue to be carried out as this week before Christmas unfolds.  The depth of sorrow being experienced by the families of Newtown and the nation, at this latest maniacal and wanton act of evil - the thirteenth such school mass shooting in the United States since 1995, is forging a renewed awareness and consensus forming resolve that is widening in scope that the time is overdue that we effectively address and constructively respond to safeguarding our citizens more effectively in avoiding the occurrence of more wanton and devastating gun violence.  CBS The Late Show With David Letterman host, himself now a 65 year old father with a 9 year old son, devoted a segment of his show to a sober statement on the Newtown Tragedy and the imperative need to find answers to the endemic problem gun violence such as this is, and our urgent need as a country to remedy it.  I commend him for contributing to the dialogue and debate we need to have and the consensus of action we must take as the United States of America.  Despite the concern that any such action could violate if not eliminate the 2nd Amendment Right to the Freddom to Bear Arms, even the National Rifle Association, a leading powerful advocate for several decades of unrestricted universal access to all guns and weapons, today indicated their willingness to help work in ending gun violence such as the Newton massacre in our schools.  Some compromise on regulating accessibility to some guns, namely assault weapons is indeed appropriate and in my view required.  Why any person other than the members of the military and law enforcement authorities in the United States, needs an assault weapon for any purpose is beyond my understanding.  Self defense and Personal / Family protection; Hunting, Sports and Recreation, have no need for the use of, or legal access to, assault guns, amunitions, and rifles.  Assault weapons are weapons of war and national security, and necessary only for their use by the appropriate and authorized agents of the military and government.  As the devastating poignacy of this latest event in New England continues to play out and the debate about addressing the issue better and more effectively ensues we must move expeditiously to take action that can strengthen and sustain the protection and prevention of further gun violence from taking place as best we can.  I think a very good starting point is the renewal and resumption of the Assault Weapons Ban that was set aside in 2004............Fr.  Troy