8ully, I agree with you that it's likely that many lawmakers need to be educated about firearms. There also needs to be some standard established regarding terms like "assault" weapons and "automatic" "semi automatic" etc. The problem is that people either own guns or they don't and those who don't know little about them except the fearmongering that comes about when this kind of tragedy occurs. It's certainly understandable that people are crying for something to be done. What happened was terrible, and it's a good thing to get the facts out, understand exactly what did occur and if anything could have been done differently that might have prevented it.
The way our governments enjoy varied spheres of influence between states, municipalities, and the Federal agencies, there are overlaps, inconsistencies, and different language that hampers and obscures gun ownership and the requirements from one place to another. So the existing legislative framework is already piecemeal. Slapping on some more bandaids is not the answer, but getting to a state of national understanding and consensus about this is crucial. Dialogue is one way to get started on this. People need to ask questions and to educate one another. This doesn't mean everyone will agree, but at least people will be able to communicate and understand what guns are and how they work when they undertake to legislate the conditions of their use and ownership. This isn't a small undertaking, either, but it's a necessary one.
