A recent news report out of Tennessee shows us that not only is media continuing to be hysterical about guns, but also that gun control continues to fail as technology outpaces the core idea behind it.
Let’s start by watching the emotionally-laden scare-coverage:
Right off, the newscaster tells us that a “switch” can turn a handgun into a “weapon of war.” So, you know pretty fast what kind of reporting we can expect for the rest of the segment. Those of us who have studied history and know anything about warfare know that any weapon can be a weapon of war if used in warfare.
The report quickly gets handed off to another stage performer who tells us that the experts are calling for “stronger state laws” and police who are “willing to enforce”, warning us that the plague of spraying bullets will only get worse if that doesn’t happen. Somehow they managed to forget that converting a Glock pistol to fire full auto is already illegal at the federal level and that there’s no shortage of willing enforcers of this law should one be caught with one.
The report goes on like this, talking about a “city stunned and unable to grasp” before telling us about dead cops. They almost had a point about the guy who fired the gun, who had been let go instead of being held before trial when he had been caught with a modified Glock weeks earlier, but this was a clear example of police who were willing to enforce the law, only to find a judge who wasn’t willing to require bail or hold without bail. So, no number of laws or different cops would have prevented that outcome without better judges.
They are also totally right to show that a full-auto pistol is tough to control, but this makes them more of a weapon of terror than a weapon of war. In the hands of some idiots who are likely to practice a “spray and pray” shooting method, these could create a bigger risk to the public than a normal unmodified Glock. But, are we really going to pretend that gang bangers with guns are safe as long as they don’t have full-auto? That still stretches reason pretty far.
They then go on to show that federal prosecutors are taking this seriously, and are taking people into federal court when caught with switches. So, the laws already exist and mechanisms already exist to put people behind bars for having and misusing these devices. But, despite this, they bring on an “expert” from an anti-gun organization and a prosecutor who call for higher class felonies for this offense.
Why Suddenly Going “Tough on Crime” Won’t Work Here
What the newscast won’t tell you is that these criminals get out of a revolving door court system easily thanks to the very same people who are calling for tougher handling of switch possession cases. But, when it comes to guns, they suddenly want to push “tough on crime” propaganda. If they really wanted to keep these guys behind bars, they had plenty of opportunity to do that.
The other thing they’re not considering is that technology has outpaced the ability for laws to cope. But, instead of seeing the futility of gun control, they’re quick to gun control harder. When these devices can be made at home using online instructions and a 3D printer, there’s no real way to stop criminals from getting ahold of them.
Instead of agitating and dishonestly pushing for more gun control, the media and politicians should instead be putting that energy into alternative approaches to fighting crime. Addressing the root causes of gang violence would be far more effective than slapping the band-aid of harsher gun control laws on this.
Read the full article here