I'm a conservative. More importantly, I am a mother. And I am outraged. I am SICK of my political party bowing and scraping before the almighty National Rifle Association. I find it morally repugnant that the people who rally behind the 2nd Amendment really think this applies to assault weapons. And high-capacity gun clips.

How hard is it to distinguish between a weapon used to hunt animals and weapon used to hunt people? The way anti-gun control Republicans lump the two together is an insult to my integrity.

The intent of the 2nd Amendment was to protect free citizens from an overbearing State. It had NOTHING to do with protecting the rights of gunslinging psychopaths and their supposed "right" to procure semi-automatic assault weapons.

I've heard it said that gun control measures won't stop the crazies, that they'll find a way to get what they want. To my mind, that's a moot point. Gun control measures are important regardless of buyers' mental stability. The truth is, nobody needs an assault weapon--not even the most sane, responsible American citizen.

As for defending yourself against a gun-carrying criminal? Who are we kidding? There are no certainties or guarantees about gun use. Just because you're packing heat doesn't mean you won't get shot. I highly doubt a criminal is gonna think twice about shooting you simply because you're carrying a gun. Actually, he'll probably just try to get it away from you and then shoot you with your own gun.

I thought we'd progressed beyond a Wild, Wild West society. But I guess not.

How many more horrific gun battles must be played out on our TV screens before we, as Americans, take gun control seriously? For starters, how about gun sellers using that handy little thing called Google? I mean, how HARD is it to Google a potential gun-buyer? If you're a law-abiding, responsible citizen, you have nothing to worry about. But if someone would have seen Jared Nutcase Loughner rambling on YouTube BEFORE he got a gun, maybe the Arizona massacre wouldn't have happened.

I don't know what the answers are, here. I just know we need to rekindle this debate about gun control and take it seriously. I'd like to see California's assault weapons ban reinstated.

I agree with Robyn Thomas, executive director of Legal Community Against Violence who said high-powered weapons have "absolutely no legitimate sporting purpose or self-defense purpose."

High-powered weapons are simply indefensible and a scourge on our nation's safety and freedom. I'm tired of this being a partisan issue. Gun violence is non-partisan.

And it needs to be stopped.