This past week my favorite unprofessional writer Eugene Robinson published his usual tripe in The Sentinel-Record. Eugene was outraged at the massacre in the Texas church tragedy, as many of us were. His solution was more gun control, when the problem was a combination of failure of the mental health care system and lack of compliance with existing gun control laws.
Robinson wanted additional gun control laws including: 1. a national registry of all guns (gun confiscation here we come); 2. restriction on long guns, he describes as "assault rifles;" and 3. reductions in magazine capacity.
Let us explore these as a deterrent to this crazy individual or others with the same mental problem, obtaining and misusing a firearm. Assuming the Texas killer's name was on a national list of gun owners, how would that knowledge indicate his intended misuse? That information, without other data, would indicate nothing! Recently the governor of Puerto Rico issued an order to confiscate guns during the hurricane, so gun confiscation is in the hearts of our anti-gun folks. I will bet the looters were thrilled with the governor.
How about the idea of banning "assault rifles?" Our ignorant friend asserts these guns are not used for hunting, which is only partially true. That, of course, ignores those of us who love to target shoot and inhibits our right of self-defense from a government run amok if controlled by people who think like our delusional Mr. Robinson. The assault rifle platform, however, is not restricted to small caliber long guns like the AR15. Rifles using the same platform are available using different caliber ammunition, and make excellent large game guns. Banning magazine capacity also is not a solution since multiple magazines with smaller capacity would not slow any mass murderer and hamper any self-defense effort.
Robinson states that it is easier to buy a gun than get a driver's license or register to vote! Neither of those assertions are correct. As anyone who has purchased a gun knows, it requires completing ATF Form 4473 and providing photo identification. Handgun purchases require a concealed carry permit or a valid picture ID and a background check. This is as close to a universal background check as is possible. The Texas killer would not have been allowed a gun purchase if his domestic violence background had been recorded. Shame on the Air Force for this inexcusable failure.
Gun shows are often cited as source of illegal gun purchases. Many gun shows now recommend private gun sellers with a booth, transfer the weapon using one of licensed firearms dealers at the show. Some shows now make it a requirement and enforce it with fines using mandatory deposits as the source of the fine. Some ignorant folks talk about kits to convert a gun to fully automatic, which are illegal, as are possession of such weapons. Sincere but ignorant people often suggest existing solutions, which are not followed, or those which infringe on the rights of Second Amendment supporters.
What is the solution? It certainly is not more gun control laws. What we do need is to stop the politically correct nonsense that has decimated our mental health system. The very people who object to forcible psychiatric assessments, as well as state-supported mental health hospitals, are the problem. Had the family of the Texas killer been able to have him evaluated (assuming they recognized the need), he could have been committed and received help while the court monitored his progress.
What is equally appalling is the vast number of murder-suicide, as well as suicides, caused by mental health issues. When Mr. Ill-informed Robinson shows the same concern for the 1 million yearly suicides worldwide, I will be impressed. On the average, 121 people die by suicide each day in the U.S., almost 45,000 yearly. Murder-suicides account for three deaths every day. Almost every one of these cases are mental health problems.
We need to take a serious look at our mental problem while praying for those who die from this terrible disease, as well as those who feel more gun laws will fix the mental health problem.
Editorial on 11/19/2017