This is another example of a bad guy acting badly. No question about it, the tool he used is incidental to the fact that he was an unbalanced and dangerous man. However, what the gun-rights folks like to ignore is that by using a gun, he was able to do much more damage than he otherwise would have.
Gun availability is the contributing factor which can be most easily controlled. But the NRA, gun manufacturers, and the individual gun-rights advocates don't want that. Each for their own reasons, they resist the simple controls which would disarm many of the unfit and dangerous people who nowadays have easy access to guns.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
And you continually ignore the idea that limiting gun availability in the ways that you wish to do that would only take guns away from good citizens, not from criminals. Your proposals would make it difficult for people who comply with laws to get guns, because we generally buy ours from licensed dealers, but criminals get theirs either by stealing or from the black market. The black market would exist no matter what laws got passed, and theft would become much more attractive.
ReplyDeleteStop trying to take guns away from good citizens.
Greg, You're the one who's ignoring facts. Straw purchasing of guns could be pretty much eradicated with proper licensing and registration. No straw purchaser would dare do it if they knew they'd have to produce the gun and paperwork at a later point.
DeleteTheft could be greatly curtailed with safe storage laws and holding gun owners responsible for securing their property.
None of these things would keep guns from law abiding citizens.
But licensing and registration have too much wrong with them to make that a viable solution.
DeleteOr a criminal could make his own shotgun for around $7 with a few parts readily available at any local hardware store. Here is a demonstration on YouTube:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1wV3lmbSv4
If you thought that one was a little too crude, then you could upgrade and make this one for about $20:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHNeD5FXIFI
So how will gun control laws prevent anyone from going that route?
We should make it illegal-er to have a gun in a courthouse! Maybe that would end the tragedy. Or if you insist on having a gun-free zone. Make sure it's... you know... gun-free
ReplyDelete