It seems everyday we are seeing something on the news about people wanting more control. When unfortunate mass shootings occur, many are quick to think that taking away guns altogether and creating more gun control is the only true solution. But let’s take a look at the bigger picture.
“Gun Free Zones”
A common theme with gun control revolves around creating more gun free zones. Did you know that more than 90% of mass shootings actually took place in a “gun free zone”?! This concept is immediately garbage. Check out these stats from CrimeResearch.org.
Ban “Assault Rifles”
Let’s get the facts squared away with this one first. An “assault weapon” is a fully automatic gun – these guns have been banned since the 1930’s. A number of anti-gun activists think that the AR-15 is an “assault rifle”, however it is a semi-automatic and “AR” actually stands for ArmaLite Rifle which is the original manufacturer of the weapon. In addition to these facts, over 50% of mass public shootings occur with a handgun.
Increase the Legal Age
Another common push for more gun control is to increase the legal age to purchase a firearm. The average age of mass public shooters is actually 34, so unless they are looking to push the age to 40+, this wouldn’t work either.
Magazine Capacity Limitations
“Why does someone need a high-capacity magazine?” Well this doesn’t make a difference either. Some of the largest mass shootings in America were carried out with “low-capacity” weapons. For example, take Virginia Tech – the shooter killed 32 people and injured another 17 with two handguns! One had a 10-round mag, the other 15; he just brought a number of extras. There is no evidence of decreased fatalities or injuries from mass shootings due to a few extra seconds of switching magazines.
Other Developed Countries
Don’t believe people if they tell you that America is the only country with this many mass shootings. After adjusting differences in population, there are a number of countries who surpass us. From 2009-2015, there were 27% more mass public shootings in the European Union.
There are Other Means
Banning guns means that the general population essentially has very limited access to weapons, but the black market will always exist. Take drugs for instance – those have been illegal for decades, yet we have a huge epidemic. You also have to think of the type of people to carry out such a horrendous act. If they cannot do it with a gun, they will find another way. Some of the worst mass killings in history actually involved no firearms. Just last year, a man in New York rented a truck and ran over a number of people in Manhattan, killing 8 and injuring 11. In 1990, an angry ex set a club on fire where his ex-girlfriend worked and killed 87 people. In 1995 in Oklahoma, 168 were killed and over 600 injured from a truck bomb.
Source
https://www.yahoo.com/news/6-reasons-gun-control-not-150300262.html