Today, President Obama announced he would use his executive powers to enact new restrictions on guns. His speech was passionate and he was brought to tears as he explained the impact of the mass shootings in recent years that have taken the lives of children.  It has moved him to action.

When children are violently killed it is beyond a tragedy. It is heart-wrenching. We are crushed and want to take action. Surely there is something we can do to prevent this! I understand the outrage, the helplessness. I feel it. We cannot be powerless, can we?

As we unpack each tragedy, what common factors do we find? A deranged person. A reason. Maybe planning. And many times, yes, a gun. It only makes sense that, in order to feel less helpless, we must do something. Something big and tangible. So a crusade has been on the march to control that gun.

But I don’t get it. I have tried, I really have, to see the straight line between the unimaginable tragedy and stricter gun control. I don’t see it. The widely publicized mass shootings appear to have been with legally purchased guns. I know the passion that wants this to fix it, even a little. But, sadly, I think we are missing the mark.

So what? If even one life is saved because one crazy person who wants to kill us cannot legally buy a gun, isn’t it worth it? Here is my question: When did we start believing that a person who wants to kill us respects the law?  What are we losing by picking a solution that doesn’t solve the problem?

We want action. We want control. We want to say we did something, because inaction in the face of senseless tragedy is unacceptable. What will we do when the next tragedy occurs and the gun was purchased legally?  Will it be time to look for a different solution?