Has the world gone mad...

BBC News Online has become, since starting my journalism course, part of a daily routine.

When a day goes by and I haven't actually been on the website, I feel deprived of the instant news that it provides.

Bit sad really, but it is the best way to keep updated on both local and international news.

There is always a story that saddens or surprises me but like most people, I read it and then click to see the next one.

If you go to the link below, you can take a look at one of the headlines in the Americas today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7810192.stm

The reason it really caught my eye is because I have previously blogged on the issue of gun ownership in the US and am very certain of my views on this issue.

The story above briefly is that a 12-year-old boy in the state of Arizona shot and murdered his own mother, because she had asked him to do some household chores.

He had got the pistol from a bedroom cupboard and shot his mother eight times; it turns out that his mothers live-in boyfriend had taught the boy how to use a gun in self-defence.

A number of questions arise from this story.

Why did a 12-year-old need to know how to use a weapon? Why was there need for a weapon in the family home? Is there not a serious issue of concern when children are using guns to kill their own parents?

All I can say is roll on the Obama presidency...