In an incident that is a blow to gun control advocates, the husband of a former CNN news reporter, himself a former reporter, was wounded in a gun battle when an armed intruder stormed into their New Mexico motel room. In the gunfight, the robber was killed. My first reaction was “What is a CNN reporter doing staying in Motel 6?” Not surprising, almost all of the posted comments were from common-sense folks who wondered why the anti-gun crowd was silent. Tough to engage in a conversation when any reasonable defense of your position is found wanting. (As you might have guessed, I am pro second amendment). Without a gun to protect themselves, the anchor and her husband would most likely be dead. The wounded husband is an everyday, law abiding American who felt the need to carry a legally registered pistol.
Gun control advocates contend that passing laws that would remove guns from the hands of the citizenry would prevent another Columbine, the slaughter at the Church in South Carolina or the killing of an innocent bystander in San Francisco. Nothing could be further from the truth. What they do not talk about is how many everyday, law-abiding citizens have protected life and property because they had instant access to a legally owned firearm.
Can we not learn a lesson from Prohibition? The ban on distilling and selling alcohol drove the market underground and became a boon to organized crime. The natural outcome of blanket gun bans is to hand the market and ownership of guns to criminals who in turn know they operate in a country with a neutered citizenry,
The horror of these vicious acts is sickening and the very appearance of such evil instills a deep reaction for us to do whatever is necessary to prevent such in the future. Unfortunately, when emotions run high, all too often logic and reason go out the window. In a civilized society we must, absolutely must, resist the impulse to let emotions overcome reason and refrain from passing laws that hack at the leaves of the problem without getting to the root, We run the danger of taking freedoms from responsible, tax paying, honest Americans who not only respect and manage firearms, but who provide a certain level of national security (As validated by one reason the Japanese chose not to invade our homeland in 1941).
The shooters at Columbine, Hook Elementary and the church in Charleston were sick and the Illegal Alien in San Francisco was a hardened criminal, pure and simple. I am a strong advocate of doing everything that can be done to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those who suffer from mental illness. Blanket banning of firearms is not the answer.
Statistics prove that most gun crimes are committed by crooks who obtained their guns illegally, The shooter in the New Mexico shooting incident was in violation of parole and, although the details of how he obtained possession of a gun have not been revealed, in all likelihood it is stolen.
The emotion and the rhetoric to curb gun violence must be centered on keeping guns out of the hands of criminals while preserving the rights, freedoms, and the ability of everyday Americans to protect themselves. Police protection is not always available at the moment it is needed most. I have not always agreed with some positions of the NRA but I respect that six million law abiding gun owners, including myself, have a forum and an organized force to stave off unreasonable and misguided attempts to remove our ability to protect ourselves.
Blanket banning of firearms is not the answer.
authorbobtait 