The elementary school shooting in Connecticut on December 14, has reignited discussions about gun control laws. But firearm enthusiasts say that guns are not to blame.
Dillard Morrison, a member of the Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club, has been shooting since he was a kid in Altadena, Calif., where he had a 22-caliber rifle and a pellet gun. Today, Morrison has about 30 guns, including revolvers, shot guns, and semi-automatic weapons. He says he keeps them in a big safe, and takes them out for competition.
Morrison says the news of the elementary school shooting was so horrific, he cried.
"I have two kids," says Morrison. "I'm sure that had to affect any parent."
But while many parents are calling for more stringent gun control laws in light of the most recent tragedy, Morrison says if guns were allowed in schools, this tragedy could have been prevented.
"I know a lot of teachers...who have a legitimate license to carry a gun," says Morrison. "Unfortunately, the professors that I know aren't able to carry their guns to work... If they were able to do so, something like this may have been avoided."
Morrison's statement was echoed by other gun enthusiasts at the Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club.
"Banning guns is by no means the answer," says Kevin Roche, who says shooting is his hobby. Roche also says that sometimes he carries a concealed weapon, and that he never goes into a mall or theater without one.
"If you got to blame somebody, you don't blame a gun," Roche says. "You can take a gun and put it on a table and leave it for 100 years. Until some bad person comes and picks it up, it's not going to hurt anyone."
