It was Dec. 14 when Adam Lanza allegedly shot his mother, six teachers and 20 children before killing himself.

When I heard about the shooting in Newtown, Conn., I could not believe it. Is it really possible that a young man is able to shoot 20 innocent, young children?

According to CNN, the perpetrator used his mother’s Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle. My first thoughts are why would a mother have a gun like that in her house, and is a simple handgun not enough?

Being born in Germany, a country that does not support the right to bear arms legally for self-defense, in contrast to the U.S., makes it difficult for me to grasp the necessity and desire to have a gun.

After Newton, President Barack Obama has the possibility now to promote stricter gun control. The problem the Obama administration faces is the strong gun lobby, the Republican Party, as well as a cultural habit to possess a gun, which is still protected by the Constitution.

Slate Magazine quotes Vice President Joe Biden two actions are needed to reduce gun violence. “The first one is to ban assault weapons, to limit the size of high-capacity magazine clips, to take action against gun trafficking, and to pressure Hollywood to reduce the violence shown in movies and video games,” Biden said.

The second action is “to change the cultural tradition of having the liberty to own a gun such as it is stated in the Constitution.”

The magazine further quotes Biden’s comparison of gun restrictions with seat belt laws. The automobile industry resisted these regulations and laws but they were pushed forward regardless, and cars have become safer because of them.

The argument of the National Rifle Association is that if the teachers had had their own guns, they would have defended themselves and the children. They argue the only solution to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

Talking with my German friends about this topic we all agreed that even though the U.S. is a Western democracy, the cultural difference to European democracies is enormous. The European answer would be: the fewer guns available, the less gun violence occurs.

The conclusion of this national discussion will still take some time, but hopefully the Obama administration will take the right step in order to avoid shootings such as in school or even in theaters like in Denver at the Batman premier.

The problem is not about the fact that it happened, since shootings also happen in Europe.

The problem is that other’s have shown it can be reduced, and America refuses to try.