Canton Repository
What will change? Probably nothing 

The issue: Aftermath of Connecticut massacre

Our view: Washington won’t magically fix itself to tackle gun, mental health issues 

President Obama has given Vice President Joe Biden until January to collect recommendations for proposals to reduce gun violence. It’s another sign that the senseless slaughter of 20 children and seven adults in Connecticut last week may be a tipping point in public opinion in what seems like an endless national conversation about violence. 

Guns are front and center on the average American’s radar screen again, as are mental health concerns. If ever the time was right to approach these issues with a shared interest in solutions, it is now. 

Will anything actually change? There’s good reason for skepticism. 

Why is that? Because Washington no longer seems to know how to have a rational, productive conversation. 

Think about the pattern of stalemates we have seen in attempts to deal with the nation’s serious fiscal problems. Partisanship, one-upmanship, brinksmanship — these are the political tools that shape the tone and direction of the debate… 

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