After the horrid events that unravelled on Oct. 1, 2017, in Las Vegas where a shooter opened fire onto concert goers from a hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandela Bay hotel, gun control advocates immediately went to work on gun control. Just a few days ago on Nov. 5, 2017, a shooter opened fire in a church during a service in the small town of Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 and injuring more than 20 people.
Whether you are pro-gun or for gun control, there is one thing we should agree on in tragedies like these–only a few hours after the shooting, people were already bringing politics into this horrifying event.
More than 50 people died, and more than 500 were injured in Vegas and in Texas. To show respect for the victims and all those affected, there should be a time period to grieve and support the victims and not talk politics.
First of all, when people make decisions based from emotions, many times they forgo the facts and go straight to making decisions based on how they feel. While for a lot of personal decisions go into making choices from emotions, with politics, it is unwise to do that. All facts must be explored. People are pulling for the ban of guns like AR-15s. Americans have the right to bear arms thanks to the second amendment and in cases like the Texas shooting, they need to be used for protection.
So, let’s talk about gun control and why it won’t stop anything.
Contrary to popular belief, there are already gun control laws in place in this country. Illinois has strict gun control laws and is the only state in the country where concealed carry is still not legal. Chicago, Illinois’ biggest city, violence in the last couple years has skyrocketed. Murders aren’t an uncommon thing to hear about. In 2016, Illinois ranked third in the country in most murders with 941. Having some of the toughest gun control laws in the state of Illinois should equate to less gun violence right? Wrong. 799 murders were committed with a gun of some sort.
While gun control laws are in place to keep them out of the hands of bad people, there are other ways for these people to kill mass amounts of people. For example, look at what has happened in Europe in recent years. There have been numerous mass killings and what was used? Not guns. Trucks, bombs and sometimes even knives were the cause of these deaths. What stopped these thugs from continuing their devilish ways? Guns.
Even in the case of the horrible event that transpired in Texas, where innocent churchgoers were gunned down by a maniac, gun control wouldn’t have stopped this from happening.
The shooter was dishonorably discharged from the military, and it was illegal for him to own the guns he had in the first place. Due to a government clerical mistake, he was able to purchase firearms.
A neighbor of the church, Shephen Willeford, was able to open fire on the shooter with an AR-15 and stopped him from killing any more civilians. Willeford was able to get a shot in the side of the shooter before he fled the scene. Johnnie Langendorff, who was driving a pickup truck nearby, assisted Willeford as they pursued the shooter who drove off in an SUV. After the van lost control and went off the road, Willeford kept his gun on the SUV until authorities arrived onto the scene. The shooter was pronounced dead due to a gunshot wound.
It is unclear if the shooter had other intentions of killing more people but there are a lot of clues to the incident that show that he thought he was going to be able to get away without a trace.
Here is the main point.
So, what would gun control do to criminals? Would it keep them from committing violent crimes? Absolutely not. The only thing gun control does is keep weapons out of the hands of the good guys. Criminals don’t care about laws. They don’t care about the boundaries. If someone wants to find a way to kill a mass amount of people, they will find ways to do it. It’s an unfortunate thing to say, but it’s true. Murder, theft and other forms of assault is illegal so villians will forgo laws that prohibit guns so they can commit these crime. In the case with Willeford, his bravery and fast actions with a firearm possibly saved a lot more people.
The only thing gun control does is keep guns out of the hands of good people. It is a constitutional right to bear arms, and as Americans, we deserve that right to protect our friends, family and our country. Godspeed.
Editor’s note: For a counterpoint on “Gun control: Why it will work,” click here.
