Cowboy Confessional

Whenever there is an episode of gun violence, the regular suspect groups all send an email that amplifies their position on gun control. Some have a degree of sense. SAF sent one after the NIU shooting making the typical and correct point that the shooter knew he would not meet resistance because his victims were in a “gun free zone.”

(As an aside, I must ask is the term “gun free zone” really applicable? Seems anyone determined enough to commit mass murder on their suicide day will make the phrase instantly nonsensical.)

On schedule, an email arrived from the Brady Campaign, and was filled with all their typical talking points, with particular emphasis on their financial donation call to action. However, it contained a curious piece of intellectual bait-and-switch, saying:

Congress’ passing and the President’s signing of the NICS improvement Amendments Act to strengthen the Brady background checks system was a positive first step. Now, we need to close the gun show loophole.

For those not attuned to the endless debate on gun control, the Brady’s and other bunches maintain that gun shows are leakage points for guns into the criminal underworld. They repeat this assertion despite evidence indicating gun shows are not a significant outlet.

More to the point, the 2008 Valentine Day Massacre was committed using registered guns bought through normal retail outlets. News reports state that at least two of the firearms in possession by the NIU nut-case were legally owned and supposedly acquire through normal retail channels.

Thus the Brady’s are attempting to skew public perception of a non-problem (gun shows) by inappropriately tying it to a murder committed by a maniac with non-gun-show firearms.
What news channels are also reporting (to my shocked amazement) is that the murdering Mr. Kazmierczak was “off is medication.”  Though the details are not yet fully exposed, this likely means he was withdrawing from one or more psychotropics.

So were Harris and  Klebold when they shot-up Columbine High School.

So were most of the recorded mass shooters in North America over the last two decades.

If people believe guns should be banned because someone might kill another human being with them, then that same logic dictates that psychotropics should be banned as well since withdraw rage (documented by the manufacturers of these drugs) demonstratably does the same.

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