Every time someone gets shot in America, gun control freaks scream for Congress to enact rigid gun restrictions. The radical left believes that guns kill people, not bad or insane people with guns. If the left could have its way, they’d repeal the Second Amendment.
But would taking guns away from law-abiding citizens solve the horrible violence problem befalling America? No, it would not. In fact, taking guns out of the hands of people who responsibly purchase and own firearms will make things worse.
Most people with an ounce of common sense understand why. However, to help explain this to those who don’t seem to get the idea that gun control is not the solution, here are a few things to think about. The first reason why radical gun control will never reduce violence may come as a surprise.
While roughly 38,000 Americans die every year by gunshot, nearly two out of every three people killed by a gun do it themselves. Yes, that’s correct. Two-thirds of all U.S. gun deaths are suicides. That single statistic throws the idea that violence can be reduced by gun control into question.
This adds even more substance to the idea that guns do not kill people. Mentally ill or bad people using guns kill people. It’s not the gun’s fault. There’s also the factor of how many actually two-party gun deaths are triggered by domestic violence.
The radical left tries to push a narrative that hundreds upon hundreds of people are dying from shotgun wielding mass shooters. They are not. Fewer than 3 percent of mass shootings use a rifle or long gun. Less than one-third of overall homicides committed are with long guns.
Again, these are killings by criminal or mentally ill people. Guns cannot be blamed for the deranged decisions of these people. There are more startling statistics that may come as a big surprise. One of the parents is responsible for the majority of child murder victims.
Partners or ex-partners kill close to half of the women who die from gunshots. The radical gun control movement is fixated on mass shootings. Murders and gun violence in the United States are clearly not directly tied to these rare phenomena.
In fact, mass shootings are a blatant example of mentally deranged people murdering others, not guns. America needs mental health reform long before any legislator should consider gun restrictions. The rise in American violence has also been fueled by the decades-long war on drugs.
America’s war on drugs has been akin to the failed attempts during prohibition. Drug wars have fueled the violence on U.S. city streets. The guns aren’t to blame. Crooks, drug dealers, and otherwise heartless thugs are illegally getting guns. These people are bad, not the guns.
They’ll find a way to get the weapons they need to commit acts of violence. Harsh gun control laws will do nothing but leave law-abiding Americans unprotected. Again, the radical leftist gun control push has it backwards. America needs to address the criminals, not the guns.
There’s a final problem that has fueled violence in America’s streets, and it’s not about guns. The issue is a lack of opportunity. Politicians have tricked voters into thinking their hardline gun policies will make their streets safer. They have not, and never will.
These talking heads have promised to clean up the violence while ignoring the root cause. People need encouragement and direction to climb out of poverty. Poverty and despair fuel violence. America must move beyond the tired, worn-out rhetoric of gun control.
Guns are not the issue. The ideology of coddling criminals is one huge problem. The problem is lax prosecutors who allow criminals to walk right back out on the street. Mental health in America is a critical issue as well. The number of mentally ill people walking the streets is at epidemic levels.
There is a crisis of violence in America. Taking guns from people who follow the law will not help. Such misguided policies will make things worse. The U.S. needs stricter crime laws and better mental health opportunities, not gun control. The wrong people with guns are the problem, not the guns.