We've read quite a bit about guns this past week. Cliff gave his opinion below, and of course, we have the intellectual pro-gun response from Ted Nugent, he of Cat Scratch Fever fame, over at CNN. By the way, if I worked for the Brady Campaign, I would desperately try to get Ted Nugent on TV as much as possible to talk about guns. He would single-handedly ensure gun control (and possibly birth control).
I must admit though, I am struggling a bit with this issue. One the one hand, I believe in the Brady Bill. I believe in having background checks at gun shows. And I firmly believe the Assault Weapons ban should be reinstated, and the loopholes removed. I don't care what the NRA says, you don't need an UZI to protect your home.
On the other hand, none of those bills would have prevented this crime. This psychopath walked in and bought a gun legally. I'm not sure what could be done to prevent this kind of tragedy, short of banning guns. And that's not going to happen.
So where does that leave us? Quite honetly, I don't know. But at least it's being talked about once again, and that's a pretty good start. Even if that means more Ted Nugent.
posted by BC @ 2:50 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
No, please no more Nugent.
We just don't know whether effective gun control (background checks, full registration, waiting periods, mandatory safety training and certification) would have prevented or mitigated this crime. Saying that Cho would have found a way, gun laws or no, is pure speculation. He might have. Or it may be that, like most people, he wouldn't have a friggin' clue how to go about obtaining that kind of firepower illegally.
In any case, even if better gun control would not have prevented the VT tragedy, it could prevent many other unnecessary deaths and maimings. Just reducing the level of gun-related domestic violence and accidental shootings would be a huge improvement.
I'm opposed to outright weapons bans - they just create an unregulated underground market for assault rifles, handguns etc. Better to allow private ownership of all types of weapons but put measures in place to make sure the owners know what they're doing and don't have a history of violent or threatening behavior.
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