Author's Note: The bombing of the Boston Marathon and the shooting at MIT are very tragic events that one shouldn't joke about. This post is not a joke, but serious commentary. I am not criticizing the law enforcement that was in the area before the incident occurred but rather offering suggestions for the future. Because most of you didn't read my other slightly serious post on Capitalism, I will make this post shorter and will include a tl;dr at the end.
America's long and bloody relationship with guns and gun control dates back to even before the nation existed. One of the prime sparks that set off the American Revolution was the fact that the British soldiers stationed in America in 1775 attempted to seize the stock of colonial firearms in Concord. Determined to defend their guns, the Americans fought the unofficial first battle of the Revolution.
As the nation matured, the issue of gun control has come up more and more frequently: especially in modern times. Notable and tragic examples include the Virginia Tech Massacre, the Columbine, the Dark Night Shooting, and recently, the Bombing of the Boston Marathon/ The MIT shooting. With each gun control incident, the nation has gone into an uproar and called for more gun control regulation. Even now we are discussing the possibility of a universal background check before one can purchase guns.
Sadly, for all the restrictions on gun purchasing, it will still not help prevent the worst future shootings. For all our background checks and the like, we are assuming that anyone who wants to get a gun will do it through LEGAL means. In all honesty, if someone wants to get a gun to kill a lot of people, he/she is not likely to walk into a store and politely buy one. Instead, the criminal in question is likely to obtain through illegal means, thus bypassing all the background checks and other safety measures.
However, it is still possible to take action against future massacres. Our country doesn't need MORE gun control laws, we need more ENFORCEMENT of those laws. Instead of debating about gun control laws that are not likely to prevent criminals from obtaining weapons, we should be debating about cracking down on gun manufacturers and foreign firearm imports. In order to prevent people from illegally obtaining weapons, we need to crack down on where they're getting them, not where they ought to be be getting them. Ironically, the gun control laws actually make it harder for law-abiding citizens to obtain guns for the purpose of self -defense, another potential site of reform. With our nations obsession with guns, the availability of firearms isn't going anywhere anytime soon, we just need to exercise much stronger control over it.
tl;dr - US doesn't need more gun control laws, it needs more enforcement of existing gun control laws and a crackdown on illegal firearm sources.
Your Jarrod-ism for the day - "If I were a god, I would wish to be more"
Memorize it
Believe it
Live it
Spread it
Peace out,
J-rod
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