(That’s compared to 46m guns for the runner-up, India, with a population quadruple that of America.) So even if all new gun purchases were banned tomorrow, there are enough rifles floating around the country to fuel countless more mass shootings.
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14 killed – August 20, 1986, Edmond, Okla.
Brian Ruttenbur, equity analyst at BB&T Capital Markets, noted that the checks aren’t an exact proxy for gun sales but do act as a useful metric to gauge demand. But it’s insulting and intellectually dishonest to equate all killing with the severely mentally ill. Guns are used for personal protection and hunting.
“Severe mental illness is a risk factor, but the risk is small”, Wintemute told me. If the amount were higher, perhaps something more would be done. It’s not surprising that they don’t say that, since so many people would find it unspeakably selfish and cruel.
The San Bernardino killings have triggered a fierce political debate.
Nearly every time there is a mass shooting, there is a rush to push old gun-control chestnuts, regardless of their applicability. And here’s betting that few of the assailants are Muslim and most were raised Christian.
“In Texas, we cook bacon a little differently than most folks”, said Cruz in a video showing him firing a machine gun with the barrel wrapped in bacon and covered with aluminum foil.
Firearms restrictions have always been a polarizing issue in our nation.
Blame it on all of us. Our lawmakers have consistently voted against renewing the ban on assault weapons like the AR-15 used by the killers in San Bernardino. Americans’ concern about terror is spiking and yet most of O’s most memorable rhetoric has to do with ISIS being the “JV team” and why it’s wrong to say “radical Islam” and how it’s un-American for you to fret about jihadis exploiting the refugee process to infiltrate the country. But I can understand why some people do. When mass shootings do happen, their unusual nature captures our attention far more than “everyday” crimes. The people of the US simply can not be expected to endure another round of politically motivated but demonstrably ineffective laws attempting to prevent Americans from acquiring firearms.
“We are now reaping the harvest of those decisions. And the quality of weapons that they have is part of that conversation”. It was reported that the husband, who worked at the facility for developmentally disabled adults, had had an altercation and returned later with his wife, armed with assault weapons, handguns and some type of explosive devices. That’s the problem. They should have been illegal.
In fact, places like Chicago and Washington, D.C., possess the harshest gun laws in the land and the highest gun violence rates.
For a while, gun nuts with the National Rifle Association in Congress were anxious. The NRA has spent over $27 million buying the loyalty of those 50 senators who voted against background checks, according to PolicyMic and the Center for Responsive Politics. But that’s where we’re headed eventually unless the gunners wake up and compromise on some realistic solutions to the daily slaughter. The cities experiencing the most gun violence have the strictest gun laws, and that’s because the guns are being acquired illegally. And limiting the buys.
She did not mention that Farook and Malik were not on the list. Cops found 4,500 rounds at their home and 1,600 in their vehicle. Adding more bullets to often volatile situations is not a recipe for less mayhem.
“I want to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to get your permit”.
In case it’s not obvious, the “sensitivity” argument has nothing to do with being nice to terrorists and everything to do with showing respect for victims of gun violence.
Blame some Democrats, too – moderates cowed by the powerful gun lobby. This measure was vetoed by Gov. Hassan back in July.
“The heaviest hitters have been ammunition and high-capacity magazines”.
Government officials can try to address these problems, but I do not believe that this will ultimately resolve the problem.
They’ll get an opportunity to correct that mistake next November.
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Shootings with greater media coverage, however, had greater effects on background checks. Those things are just too unsafe and represent too much of a threat to public safety to be allowed in ANYONE’S hands. We value our safety and our liberty. We have to do both. But it can be reduced if we’re smarter about our asinine arsenal.
