Gun Control Misfires: A Tale of Four Cities
Filed under Constitution, Gun Control, Politics



Gun control is on every liberal’s lips thanks to the shootings in Aurora, Colo., by an insane gunman wielding an AR-15 rifle, shotgun and a pistol.

(Update: I had originally written AK-47 instead of AR-15 based on news sources that reported it that way and the president’s speech about AK-47s. Thanks to you sharp readers who know the difference!)

New York Mayor and Soda Nazi Michael Bloomberg has urged police officers to go on strike until all privately held handguns are turned in, which sounds like an exceptionally good idea in New York, which has been experiencing a summer rash of shootings.

I’m sure the criminals could use the stress reduction, and residents will feel much safer knowing they won’t have to worry about shooting themselves in the foot while waiting for the police to come deal with a robber in the living room.

Gun control doesn’t work for a lot of reasons that are clear to anybody who is susceptible to logic.

Rather than confuse liberals by resorting to common sense, maybe just examining the cases of four different cities will help clarify things.

First, there’s Anaheim, Calif., home of Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Medieval Times and a whole slew of other family-oriented destinations.

During the past week, residents of Anaheim have been rioting and protesting following the fatal police shootings of two men. They were probably criminals and probably brought it on themselves by doing stupid things like being in gangs and shooting at police.

But apparently at street level it doesn’t look that way. Residents have been slinging phrases like “cop murder” or “assassination.” Accusations of opening fire on crowds and siccing police dogs on children are flying “fast and furious.”

This is in California, a state that is just chock full of gun control laws. There are a lot of factors involved (like illegal immigration — thanks, King Obama), but two points can be gleaned from this series of events: Gun control didn’t stop at least one known gang member from obtaining a weapon to fire at police (wonder if it came from Eric Holder?); and the residents of Anaheim will not (and possibly should not) ever trust the police to protect them.

Second case to consider: Chicago. Run by the liberal machine under Obama henchman Rahm Emanuel, the town of Chicago has been turned into a shooting gallery.

With gun control laws up the wazoo, Chicago has seen multiple shootings on many days this year, including even when Obama was visiting.

Despite being “outraged” and cooking up various strategies, Emanuel and the Chicago police haven’t been able to stop the bleeding. Just this past Tuesday, six people were shot in the space of an hour. There have been weekends where three dozen or more have been wounded.

Back to California. The city of Simi Valley, which isn’t that far from Anaheim, is consistently ranked as one of the safest large cities in America.

Being in California, the residents of Simi Valley are subject to the exact same state gun control laws as the residents of Anaheim, BUT … the city is known locally to be home to an abnormally large number of resident police officers from a number of local communities.

It’s not the magical badges that keep crime under control. It’s the fact that those off-duty police officer homeowners, along with a lot of non-police residents of the town, are believed by criminals to keep guns in their homes and not be afraid to use them.

Then there’s the case of Kennesaw, Georgia, a city with about one fourth the population of Simi Valley and selected by Family Circle as one of America’s 10 Best Towns for Families. Back in 1982, Kennesaw did the opposite of what most cities do. Not only did it not outlaw or restrict guns, but it passed a law requiring that every head of household in town own a handgun, with exceptions for criminal record, religious objection, handicap, etc.

Contrary to predictions, the town did not see a rise in violence. Crime plunged and has stayed low ever since.

It’s intuitive and obvious. When people are allowed to own guns to defend themselves, crime is low because criminals for some reason don’t like to be shot.

Even “gangster” rapper Ice T gets it. In an interview on the day of the Colorado shootings, he defended the right to own a gun, pointing out that it’s for self-defense, including if necessary, the last line of defense against an out-of-control government.

Liberals operate from fear, and they’ve got an entire routine about people supposedly shooting family members and not being able to stop criminals, ad infinitum.

But people who want to take away your rights under the pretense of safety and security are really just laying the groundwork for tyranny.

In the end, the only form of gun control that works is taking aim before pulling the trigger.

Read more: Gun Control Misfires: A Tale of Four Cities : Political Outcast