Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- After the murders at the Pittsburgh Synagogue, I keep seeing this question on Quora and other social media; ‘How do we stop mass murder?’
Most of the people asking this question feel strongly about things they don’t understand. They have not studied the issues of physical defense or contemporary mental health. I’m sorry to give them the bad news, but there is no magic button to fix the human condition.
We can not eliminate mass murder, but we can reduce it.
- We grew mass murderers after we developed mass media. Stop rewarding narcissistic murderers with a billion dollars of publicity.
- Almost all mass murders are in so-called “gun-free” zones. Make the government strictly liable for every injury in a government-mandated “gun-free” zone.
- Make owners/operators strictly liable for every injury in a privately mandated “gun-free” zones.
I’m tempted to add that we should hold bureaucrats responsible for the crazy people they release back into society, but we have never found a way to hold bureaucrats accountable. To claim that would be a solution is magical thinking and this isn’t an article about fantasy fiction.
The three things I mentioned won’t end the problem of mass murder, but they will help a lot. If you doubt that conclusion, then please consider this;
Is there any “gun-free” zone where we have not found a gun? I have not found a single one.
I’ve also heard people propose more background checks and more bureaucratic “no-buy” lists. That sounds too good to be true..and it is. Gun prohibition would disarm an honest citizen like me, but bans have not stopped criminals or determined murderers.
Do you agree?
About Rob Morse
Rob Morse writes about gun rights at Ammoland, at Clash Daily, and on his SlowFacts blog. He hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society Podcast. Rob is an NRA pistol instructor and combat handgun competitor.