Already we hear calls for gun control in the wake of the Batman theater killings. Why does anyone think that will solve anything? As the famous saying goes: if you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns. Let's disarm the people so they can't defend themselves and then we won't have these sorts of massacres. Show me a US city with stringent gun control laws and I'll show you a city with a high murder rate.
As I live in Texas, I regularly hear news reports on would-be robbers and burglars getting shot by armed homeowners. And there was the recent story where a 14 year-old in Arizona shot an intruder to protect his younger siblings. Gun control would disarm these civilians who successfully protected themselves. Criminals, being criminals, will not be so eager to obey the law. Moreover, if they know the citizens are disarmed, they are more likely to harass them, not less likely. Thought experiment: Town A has outlawed all guns while Town B is known for lots of gun owners. Which town is a home invasion criminal more likely to target?
Whenever the gun control debate arises, I think of a Chuck Norris movie from the 80s. A couple of hooligans with shotguns burst into a bar to rob the place only to discover this is the bar where ALL the cops go. Every patron pulls out a gun and the would-be robbers are instantly subdued. The scene was a bit of comedy in an otherwise serious film but it was also instructive. When responsible people are armed, armed criminals are quickly dispatched. When the people are disarmed, you get massacres. Our problem is not too many criminals with guns but not enough law-abiding citizens with guns.
As always, I am distrustful of government. Government loves to disarm the citizens because then it is much more difficult for the citizens to resist government. A government that knows the citizens are disarmed will naturally become more tyrannical.
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