Response to a tragedy, "thank you."

Violent, senseless acts of violence in our society pain many of us deeply. If they don't bother us, at least a little bit, something is wrong with us. 

To read a heartbreaking "thank you" from the daughter of a woman who was murdered reminds us that these tragedies touch more than just the victims hit by bullets, or witnesses to the act. 

It's important not to just "do something!" in the wake of such tragedies. Something surely must be done, but we should, as the author  of the linked article said, work towards "good policy based on good reasoning. Not the quickfire of emotion."

Unfortunately, some misplace their blame on the tools, rather than the person. Hence the phrases "gun violence," "gun murder," "gun crime." This takes our attention away from the actual causes of these tragedies, and doesn't move us any closer to a solution. This is evidenced when you review crime statistics around the world after gun control has been implemented (even total bans on entire classes of firearms in the UK and Australia), and see there has NEVER been any significant or consistent reduction in violent firearm-related crime. 

As painful as firearm-related tragedies are, it is a disservice to the victims and their families to continue to push for new laws which would not have saved their lives, and punish the rest of society in the process.  

False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.
-- Cesare Beccaria, as quoted by Thomas Jefferson's Commonplace book

...Orygunner... 

Back at it again.

I haven't focused too much on the gun control issue for a while, at least not enough to justify getting off my butt and coming back to my blog to enter any new material.

Sortof like that relative you haven't called in a while. The longer you wait, the harder it is to pick up the phone.

Well, recent events have certainly gotten me re-energized in the fight to protect the right to keep and bear arms, and I've found myself re-typing the same sort of things over and over, Googling to find research I thought I had bookmarked, backing my position that gun control has never had any significant or consistent effect on violent crime rates, anywhere in the world it's ever been tried.

So, I came back, and found I've actually gotten some spikes in page views on my blog here. Even a comment or two.

I hope time comes again when I don't have to bother fighting for our rights, and this blog again drifts off to obscurity.

In the meantime, I'll once again put my thoughts here, link to and comment on compelling evidence, and invite the public's completely un-moderated comments. I'll delete offensive insults and spambot stuff, but otherwise, I invite all comments.

...Orygunner...