(This short excerpt was first published in the New York Times on January 11, 2011) 

“In an ideal world, stable, cautious law-abiding citizens would have access to guns and others would not. Ideally, we would like wise regulation and prudent personal decisions about carrying and using guns. Deciding on the elements of wise laws and consumer decisions ultimately requires extensive data analysis beyond any single episode, like the horrific killings in Tucson. But this tragedy does highlight some relevant issues.

Laws are better than armed citizens in keeping killers from firing 31 times in succession.”  To read the full piece, go to http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/01/11/more-guns-less-crime/we-need-laws-to-control-the-bad-guys