Due to the shooting that occurred Friday in Newton, Connecticut; Wal-Mart has announced it is pulling the Bushmaster Patrolman’s Carbine M4A3 rifle from is online store. It is a gun of a similar make to that of the one used by the shooter.

Wal-Mart is the country’s largest distributer of guns and ammunition, with sales increasing in the last year.

This article is immensely important in showing the backlash a tragedy ofsuch horrific nature, can have on how we decide social and ethical decisions, such as gun control. Mirroring the increase in national security we had after 9/11, it is likely the shooting will have a similar effect on how we treat the availability of powerful firearms, that can easily be attained by almost anyone (online and through a store as public as Wal-Mart). This presents the question as to who needs such military-style firearms, never use for hunting.

This presents a great dilemma for Americans: though bearing arms is a constitutional right, now that is the 21^st century, the founding father may not have intended to give almost anyone the right to automatic high-powered firearms that serve no purpose other than to perpetuate the gun loving society in which we live. We no longer need muskets to defend the family farm from the native savages. Our founders had no idea what would be available today, providing reason as to why we may need change to defend people’s lives, though it may infringe on your right to buy that new M16 you need for some reason. “ But what if I need to defend myself?” You may ask. I’m not saying no guns, shotguns and other hunting related firearms do serve a purpose, but those are not in question. All I ask is use reason. If the shooter did not have access to such weapons would this devastating tragedy have occurred? Possibly, but if there’s a chance it could have helped prevention in anyway, is it not worth a try?