Do you think if American gun laws were made much stricter and it became harder for people to get hold of guns, it would significantly decrease American crime?
:shooter:
Achilles
Not necessarily. Crime is caused by a host of factors.
Gun laws at the federal level attempt a "one size fits all" blanketing effect of the legislation. North Dakotans, for instance, probably don't want anti-gun laws and likely don't need them. We shouldn't pass federal laws that impinge upon their right to own firearms. Likewise, in my state of Indiana, the population seems quite content with their firearms. The laws here are "liberal" (in the traditional and proper sense of the word) and we recently instituted a lifetime carry permit...which I now have.
Gun crime itself could be looked at as a symptom, rather than a cause. Examine the root causes of the violence that leads to gun crime, and we find a host of problems. Drug "turf" wars often are a major cause of violence. If we can find effective ways to stop the turf wars, we might well find a drop in gun crime.
Alcohol could be listed as a "cause" of violence...but is always listed as a contributing factor and seems never demonized to the level guns are. Being male is another correlation. Being poor yet another. Being young still yet another. Perhaps we should outlaw poor drunk youths?
My point is that we spend much time assigning blame, listing those demons that scare us the most. The survivor of the alcoholic home lists booze as the arch-nemesis, a feminist who was molested by her father might list men as the evil, a curmudgeon will point the finger at the youngster, a bigot will point at a minority, an elitist finds fault with the poor.
And, noting that each of these shrill perspectives carries a nasty appellation with it, some find it preferable to point at a perfectly inert chunk of steel. It's easy. It is particularly easy for the person who has never handled a gun and who has developed a visceral fear of them. To them, a gun is often a political icon, a symbol of all they consider evil. Hence the vitriol. Thus the political drive to outlaw them.
I suppose there was a day when swords were likewise considered wicked...and there was a call to beat them into plowshares.
Virginia Techs massacre failed to engender any substantial anti-gun jeremiad...which may be reflective of the times. The left has learned that its anti-gun rhetoric alienates moderates whose votes they desperately crave--and indeed--need. There were so many other issues raised by that rampage, however, that it became clear to everyone that the means were outpaced by the madness. In perusing the pictures of the shooter, one could not look at the eyes of Cho Seung Hui and fail to recognize the source of terror that day.
The irony is that he may have brought a measure of sanity to the debate.
Regards,
Steve
