A Historical Account: strict gun control laws do not prevent mass killings [video]

Firearms instructor and radio talk-show host Matt Canovi says it best, “you can’t stop crazy and you can’t stop hate – all you can do is be prepared.”

The belief that anti-gun people have is that mass killings are due to the fact that guns are readily available in this country. They seem to ignore the fact that mass killings WILL happen with or without the use of guns or the laws that regulate them. In this writer’s opinion, it’s not the availability of guns that contribute to these very tragic events. It goes a lot deeper than that. Peel away all the politics, all the gun control debate, and what are you left with? A society that has fallen. A society that nurtures and creates the kind of sick behavior that produces a mass killer. These corrupt individuals will stop at nothing to reach their twisted objective and will use any sort of weapon as a means to achieve it.

Here are just a few examples of mass killings where guns were not the weapon of choice:

Timothy McVay fashioned a bomb out of fertilizer and other components killing 168 people and injuring 680 in Oklahoma City, OK April 19, 1995.
The worst school massacre in United States history was in Bath, MI on May 18, 1927 when a man killed 38 elementary school children, 6 adults, and wounding 58 more when he blew up a school.
On November 1, 1955 John Gilbert Graham planted a bomb on an airplane killing 44 people.

In 2008 alone, there was a rash of mass killings all over the world – none involving the use of guns:

Alaska: March 15, 2008: 4 people killed by a man with a 5-inch knife
China: July 1, 2008: 6 police officers killed and 4 others wounded by a man with a knife
Japan: June 8, 2008: 7 people were murdered when a man killed 3 as he drove a truck into a crowd. He then jumped out and killed 4 more with a knife.

The list goes on. The point here is that psychopaths will kill and inflict bodily harm on people with whatever they can use. Between 2007 and 2011, the FBI website reports that almost 12,000 people were killed with sharp-edged and blunt objects. Compare that with the number of firearms used in shooting deaths during that same period: 6,000. [1]

Now lets focus on places with gun control measures that are more strict than in the United States.

South Korea: Anti-gun people like to use South Korea as a model that the US should follow. In Korea, gun ownership is virtually non-existent as it is illegal for citizens to own any kind of firearm. Hunters may apply for a permit, but there are very few hunters in Korea. During the off-season, all guns have to be turned in to the local police office. Gun laws didn’t stop a drunken police officer when, in April of 1982, he went on a killing rampage using hand grenades and rifles killing 57 people.

Great Britain: On August 19, 1987 16 people were murdered and 11 others were wounded by a gunman in Hungerford, Berkshire. After this tragedy the UK changed their gun control laws – requiring registration and banning other types of weapons. However, that didn’t stop another massacre from happening on March 13, 1996 when 16 children and their teacher were murdered by a gunman who was carrying four handguns. A year later, the UK passed a new law that banned all private ownership of handguns. [2] According to ABC News’ 2020, law-abiding citizens turned in 162,000 to UK officials. The news report went on to say, “But this didn’t decrease the amount of gun-related crime in the U.K. In fact, gun-related crime has nearly doubled in the U.K. since the ban was enacted.” [3]

France: Compared to US standards, France has gun laws that are more strict. On the website, thetruthaboutguns, Sebastian O. compares French gun laws to the US’s like this: “Owning firearms in France and using them for sport, hunting, and self-defense makes New York City laws look tame in comparison and there is no second amendment to protect the rights of French gun owners.” Later on he he turns to concealed-carry – that in France, “you might as well forget about carrying a firearm for defense. That requires a process that makes California concealed-carry look like a cake-walk.” [4] These types of gun control laws did not prevent 14 people from being killed on July 1989. Granted, some of today’s laws may not have been in affect in 1989, but rest assured, French citizens have always had stiff gun control policies.

Here are just three more examples of shootings, (out of many), in countries that have gun laws that are either in parity or even more strict than the US:

Canada’s gun laws are tougher than the United States [5]. Yet in December 1989, a 25 year old man shot 14 women.
November 1990, New Zealand, 11 men, women, children killed
July 22, 2011: Norway, 77 killed in twin attacks one with a bomb and the other with guns.
These and many more tragedies are documented here [6]

And what about our own country? It can be argued that most of the mass shootings on our soil has taken place in those cities and states with the most restrictive gun control measures. Read on:

From the examiner.com: “The Citizens Crime Commission of New York City lists 27 mass shootings (defined by the FBI as four or more victims killed) in the United States from 1984 through August 2012. When geographical location is considered, the majority of these shootings took place in states with strict gun control laws. Two of the states with the most restrictive gun control laws, Wisconsin and Illinois, were both the site of mass shootings. Two mass shootings occurred in Wisconsin. Four mass shootings took place in California, despite its gun control initiatives. Connecticut was the site of two previous mass killings before Sandy Hook, even though the state’s gun laws are considered some of the toughest in the nation according to a Washington Post article that cites studies by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and Brown University.” [7]

Our government can pass as many gun laws it wants. It won’t change a thing. The bottom line. Mass killings are going to happen no matter how strict the gun control laws are. A bad guy will always find a way to kill. We’ve always had guns. We had guns 30, 40, 50 years ago. How come there weren’t mass shootings then? Answer: It’s the fallen world we now live in. It’s ludicrous to think that gun control laws are going to take away weapons from those bent on using them for evil purposes. The only thing that gun control laws will accomplish will be to take away our right to defend ourselves from these hateful, crazy people. “There is no gun control legislation in America or on Earth that will prevent an unbalanced person from picking up a knife, gun or any other weapon and assaulting or killing another human being.” [8]

We once lived in a society that had values. We had God. We now live in a society that has lost its way, its morals, its values.

Strict gun control laws do not prevent mass killings – only armed law-abiding citizens can.

I’ll end with this. In a post titled A Nation That Lost Its Way on heelcatcher.com, the author hits the nail on the head:

“We have pretended that you could destroy a society at the foundation and still somehow maintain a secure structure. We are addicted to momentary pleasure, to unbridled lust, to fifteen minutes of fame, to violent entertainment, to doing things our way, to freedom without responsibility, to ignoring God and exalting self.”

Update: 3/5/2013

I just came across this video that really complements this article: