Hopefully, the horrendous event at Newtown, Conn., may very well move many people to reconsider either their own indifference toward or advocacy for gun possession. Yet beware of tactics that avert well-meaning Americans away from rectifying the wider problem.

Though an obvious first step, bans on assault weapons and limiting magazine rounds are insufficient. Gun lobbyists and their political allies will accede to these justifiable demands to deflect us from even more meaningful remedies requiring greater discernment.

Some people mistakenly urge us to purchase even more guns in the false hope that it will make us safer. But none of us can feel safe in a culture that glorifies violence.

Workplace massacres may be prevented if we invest in appropriate mediation services available to all people in many different circumstances. Adequate mental health care for the more obviously disturbed, including military victims afflicted with PTS, is long overdue. Then, too, ignoring the widespread use of guns in routine criminal acts by men and women who themselves are victimized by a lifetime of poverty and racism can no longer be swept under the proverbial rug.

Respect for the opinions and practices of others require legislators to consider measures adopted elsewhere in the world. Let us not be distracted. A healthy dose of shock therapy is in order.

Albert P. Melone

Shiloh