Mass shootings and other forms of gun violence are an unfortunate reality in the U.S. And after each tragedy, the debate returns to whether lawmakers should enact more gun control legislation.
The problem is that these debates always take place in the heat of a highly emotional moment, when
the shock of multiple slayings at a school or a public place is still fresh, and as families, loved ones and communities grieve their losses. As a result, facts too often get brushed aside. But what are the facts about guns and gun control? When you look into them, you see that blind calls for additional gun control laws won't solve the problem of gun violence in America, and could prove counterproductive.
First, it's worth noting that there are already some 270 gun-control laws on the federal books, to say nothing of state ordinances.
In most of the shooting rampages, the public learns only later that none of the gun control proposals advocates want added to the list would have prevented the killer from carrying out his plans. Or that the problem was that public officials failed to properly enforce existing laws.
What's more, the evidence shows that
there isn't a clear correlation between gun laws and gun crime, either among states in the U.S. or internationally.
As you can see from the stories below, IBD's approach to this issue has been to present the facts, simply, free of emotional turmoil, without fear or favor, in this highly charged debate.
- Deny Mass Killers The Attention They CraveAn orgy of mutual disgust now greets every mass shooting in America. Liberals despise conservatives who, they predict, will offer only insipid "thoughts and prayers" in the face of what they conceive... Read More
- No, There Haven't Been 18 School Shootings This Year — Not Even CloseThe latest mass shooting, which claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, was a horrible tragedy. But that's no excuse for the flurry of stories parroting a gun... Read More
Larry Elder: Yes, Gun Control Advocates Do Want To Take Our Guns — Just Listen To ThemAlmost immediately after the Las Vegas shooting came the calls for "common sense" gun control. The quest almost always begins with a reassurance that "no one wants to take away your guns."... Read More
Facts, Not Emotions, Are Needed In Gun Debate — Here Are 3Gun Laws: It is utterly predictable that, after a mass shooting, there are urgent pleadings for "gun control" laws. It's also predictable that any facts about gun laws and gun violence will... Read More
Gun Control Advocates Really Just Want To Ban GunsGun control advocates keep claiming that they don't want to ban guns — they only want reasonable regulations. But their actions keep saying otherwise. Gun control advocates expressed "concern" after Philadelphia Eagles rookie... Read More