Friday, November 1, 2013

The Failure of Gun Control Laws Continues.


The shooting at LAX today was a tragedy, and blessings go out to all involved or affected by it. All criminal shootings in any circumstance, whether they are mass shootings or random acts of violence are tragic. Any time someone decides to commit murder, we have to ask why?

Today's shooting is another in the myriad shooting sprees that have occurred recently. Gun control advocates will be screaming for more laws, gun bans and magazine capacity restrictions. They always do. We must ask though, how would this have helped?

LAX is in California, a state with some of the toughest and most restrictive gun laws on the books. The airport terminal is a gun free zone. So, strict gun laws were in effect, and in this instance, all guns were banned. Yet, the shooting happened. A shooter entered the terminal lobby with a rifle and began shooting. Law enforcement got him, and casualties were minimal. It could have been much worse.

By the logic of the gun ban crowd, it shouldn't have happened. Gun laws supposedly prevent shootings. Gun bans supposedly prevent shootings. Both were in place and were being enforced by law enforcement on the scene. Once again, though, a motivated individual managed to get a gun in and use it to cause carnage.

It's no coincidence that the worst shootings seem to happen in places where guns are banned. Schools, military bases, movie theaters, post offices, and the list goes on. All are places where guns are banned. All are places where criminal shootings have taken place.

What additional laws could have prevented any or all of these shootings? None. Gun bans and gun control isn't the answer. Making people accountable for their actions, and severely punishing those who break the law will accomplish more than any gun law ever will. Rather than banning the tool, let's punish those who would misuse it.

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