On Gun Control
Criminals have guns because it’s a convenient tool that does the job. No other reason at all. You can drive a nail with a wrench, but you really want to use a hammer. You can saw wood with a pocket knife, but you’d really prefer a Circular Saw.
Even if we somehow managed to get rid of every gun in the world, and there was no way to get another one, “criminals,” would simply find another weapon. There are hundreds of instances in history where certain types of weapons were banned, yet that didn’t stop criminals from finding tools just as effective at ending a person’s life. Just look at Feudal Japan as a (repeated) example, swords are banned, so what did bandits use? Staffs, cudgels, sticks, and rocks. And they still managed to terrorize the country side, leaving hundreds of thousands terrified to leave the safety of their homes, and forcing leaders to band together to wipe out the scourge.
Humans are going to keep killing humans, that is the sad fact of our stupid species. Short of mind chipping everyone and pumping us full of mood altering drugs, it’s going to continue to happen no matter what. Gun Control, whatever form new laws take, will only salve the emotional torture that the victims families are going through right now for so long.
The even more unfortunate truth, and one that many people in this forum seem to forget, is that old saying “If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.” Restrictive laws like Japan’s will only create a huge black market, and “DIY” gun culture. You’ll see zip guns being built in home garages and sold on street corners alongside meth and cocaine. We’ll see news stories “Feds seize 15,000 guns at border crossing. Estimate .001% reduction in the number of weapons!”
What you will not see is any reduction in unfortunate tragedies like this, and many fear, you will in fact see a drastic INCREASE in such.
That is why the Pro-gun crowd and the anti-gun crowd disagree. Both sides are combatting an unknown fear – both of which are rooted in reality.