I’m angry.
Another wacko has entered a “gun free” zone, this one filled
with innocent children, and shot the place up, killing at least 26 people,
including 20 kids.
To protect the kids, one teacher moved her students into a
bathroom, bolted the door, and prayed. I’m
a huge advocate for prayer, but honestly, in this circumstance, I’d rather pray
with a shotgun in my hand.
“Gun free zones” are inane.
Criminals don’t rules, so the only people who are “gun free” are the
victims. Will a gun always stop a nut
from killing people? No. But it can offer a victim the means to defend
his or herself, possibly deterring the criminal.
The knee jerk reaction to these types of tragedies is to
blame the guns, gun owners, or the gun culture.
This hurts. I’m part of the gun
culture, but I certainly don’t kill kids.
My heart breaks when I hear about any killing, especially when kids are
the victims. Imagine how much harder it
is to hear of such a tragedy, realizing you will be blamed.
The US has some of the least restrictive gun control laws in
the world. Many people blame these laws
for the gun related violence in the US.
Truth is, there has never been a persuasive study showing a correlation
between US gun violence and US gun laws or the proliferation of gun
ownership. In fact, there is a strong suggestion
that such a correlation doesn’t exist.
States and cities with strong gun laws often see higher rates of gun
crime than states and cities with less restrictive laws. Foreign nations almost all have more restrictive
laws, yet their rates of gun violence run the gambit from virtually none in
countries such as Japan, Switzerland, and New Zealand, to extremely high rates in
countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Russia.
The US does have a high rate of gun related violence, but, for a
developed nation, we also have a high rate of incarceration and overall
violence.
Some will claim that the US has seen more high profile shootings
than other countries. What they fail to
observe, however, is that the US is not really comparable to Great Britain or
Germany. In the US, these countries
would be states. The US is best compared
with Europe as a whole. When considered
this way, The US rate of mass shootings is about the same, even though Europe’s
laws are much more restrictive. Gross
data is rarely relevant. It has to be
adjusted for contributing factors, then assessed for a correlation. Without analysis using proper research
technique, data is simply a political tool used to manipulate perception. Most studies I’ve read on gun violence and
the effects of gun control use “cherry picked” data to support a political
agenda either for or against gun restriction.
John Lott, a highly regarded economist and former Yale professor, is the
most reliable researcher I have found.
His analysis is precise, scientific, and unbiased. In fact, he is a former gun control supporter
who was converted through the analysis of his own research. I strongly recommend reading his work. (Note: Critics often try to discredit Lott
because of his work with gun rights advocates, but this relationship started
after his first publication on firearms statistics.)
I’m not necessarily opposed to gun laws. I support an age requirement for gun
ownership. I believe violent felons
should lose their rights to possess guns (not because they’ll comply, but
because it provides a reason for arrest if they return to their violent
ways). If, however, we wish to add more
restrictions to what is already the most regulated product in the US market, I
believe these restrictions should be based on science rather than emotion. Gun control advocates need to provide good
data to support their proposals. They’re
the ones asking for freedom to be restricted.
They should provide the rationale.
So called “common sense” and emotional knee jerk reaction just doesn’t cut
it.
Some References:
Gun Control and Mass Murders : http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/229929/gun-control-and-mass-murders/john-r-lott-jr#
Gun control isn't the answer: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-wilson20apr20,0,7286389.story
Multiple Victim Public Shootings: http://www.thevrwc.org/JohnLott.pdf
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