Father of Newtown victim gives heartbreaking testimony as to why we need more gun control laws.

Courtesy of CBS News:  

During emotional testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, the father of a first grader slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School fought back tears as he stressed the need to ban weapons like the assault rifle that a gunman used to kill his son, 19 other children, and 6 educators in Newtown, Conn. 

Neil Heslin described how his son Jesse "was brutally murdered at Sandy Hook school on December 14, 20 minutes after I dropped him off." 

"He said 'It's all going to be OK'," Heslin recalled his son saying as he was dropped off at school. "And it wasn't OK." 

"Jesse was the love of my life. He was the only family I have left. It's hard for me to be here today, talking about my deceased son," Heslin said. But he added, "I have to. I'm his voice. I'm not here for the sympathy...I'm here to speak up for my son." 

"There's many changes that have to happen to make a change effective," he continued. "Mental health issues, better background checks, bans on these weapons, bans on high capacity magazines - they all have to come together and they all have to work effectively...common sense tells you that."

I have watched this testimony  about three times now but I still cannot get through it without tearing up. And I doubt that any person with any feeling of empathy toward their fellow human beings could.

Around the 5:50 mark Mr. Heslin makes a very important point about the 2nd Amendment:  

"They warn you about the 2nd Amendment. Well the 2nd Amendment says a well regulated militia. Bear arms, freedom of state...It HASN'T been well regulated. It's not being well regulated."

That is a very important observation. The 2nd Amendment may provide the right to "keep and bear arms" but it does NOT afford that right free of government regulation.

And that is all anybody is asking for here. The right to protect our babies from the fanatics who stockpile weapons and may someday use them on their fellow citizens, or worse yet, a classroom full of innocent children.

And if you don't agree with that then perhaps you need to watch Mr. Heslin's testimony again.

In the end your right to bear arms is secondary to our right to protect our children. Period!