Tragic School Shooting Triggers "More Gun Control!"

The news of the school shooting in Florida yesterday kind of put a damper on joy that many feel on Valentine's Day. The horror of hearing about 17 students being senselessly murdered at the hands of an obviously twisted young man was heartbreaking to say the least. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.

Immediately, before the dead and injured had even been taken from the scene, the anti-gun advocates began blaming the weapon used and blaming the National Rifle Association. They didn't even know how the shooter obtained the weapon yet they said more laws are necessary to prevent this from happening.

Was the gun his? Was the gun stolen? Was the gun given to him by someone else? Until these questions are answered there is no logical way one can say “More laws are needed to prevent this.”

The other question is “Do those laws work?” Short of outlawing all AR-15s and proceeding with a nationwide forced confiscation process (which not only wouldn't get them all but would be massive government overreach), new laws won't prevent crazy people from obtaining the weapon(s).

California has some of the most strict gun laws in the country, particularly concerning AR-15s. Yet the San Bernardino shooters managed to go around the laws by getting a third party to purchase their weapons. Laws only work for honest people.

Some say more thorough background checks could have prevented this incident. There has been one report that the gun used by the shooter was legally purchased by the shooter himself. That has not been verified. There are questions about how he would be able to purchase the weapon given his history of problems in school and his odd behavior. We don't know what was in his record as far as mental health issues and treatment. We know he was considered “weird” by his classmates and that he had been expelled from school and it is being reported that he was being treated at one time for mental health issues but that he stopped going to treatment. Should there be an automatic ban on gun purchases for anyone expelled from school? Should there be an automatic ban on gun purchases for anyone who has ever sought mental health treatment?

The old narrative that “There are no background checks done at gun shows” is simply false. All federally licensed gun dealers at gun shows are required to do background checks just like they are required at any store where firearms are sold. Some states allow non-licensed sellers to participate in gun shows but each of three studies that I read said that the results of their studies were “inconclusive” as to what percentage of sellers were not licensed.

Some states don't require background checks for private sales but if the gun in this instance was purchased legally, changing that law would be irrelevant.

It is now being reported that the shooter's behavior was reported to the FBI back in September. I can't verify that at this time either but if it's true - who dropped the ball? Or was his behavior not enough to make him a person of interest?

The simple fact is that more gun laws will not prevent a crazy person from getting his/her hands on a gun and killing people if that is their intention. The San Bernardino shooters proved that. The Sandy Hook shooter proved that. He killed his mother and stole her gun. The Texas church shooter was able to buy guns because the Air Force failed to enter his criminal background information into the FBI database. The Las Vegas shooter purchased his weapons legally but there was nothing in his background to prevent that and no way his intentions could have been predicted.

People say the one common thing about these shootings is the AR-15. But the most common thing about these shootings is the people factor. No gun, be it handgun, “AR-15 assault rifle,” shotgun, hunting rifle, etc., kills anyone without a person pulling the trigger. And in the cases of these mass shootings those people are disturbed.

More gun laws are not going to prevent bad guys from obtaining weapons and killing innocents. That's just the sad truth that is proved every day around the country. Perhaps arming teachers or hiring armed security (such as unemployed veterans) would be a better solution to school shootings. Gun free zones are always targets. Why give them the opportunity?