Second Amendment people have made a number of valid points those on the left repeatedly dismiss about the right to bear arms. And this seems an opportune time to revisit those truths. Perhaps the gun-grabbers would do well to recognize the following undeniable facts that have resulted from the Texas church massacre this week. It’s doubtful, but worth a try.
Numero Uno: More Gun Laws Are Not Worth the Paper They’re Printed On
This country has legislated to death the lawful purchase, use, and right to carry firearms. There are so many rules on the books that vary from state to state; it has become a virtual maze of regulations most people cannot even untangle — let alone obey.
For instance, if you live in Northern Virginia and travel with a firearm 20 minutes down the road to the District of Columbia with a gun in your possession, you are in a whole heap of trouble. If caught, you could be staring at a sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $5,000 — or both.
Fifteen minutes down the Beltway from Northern Virginia lies Maryland. Welcome to “The Old-Line State” with some of the most stringent firearm laws on the books but still not as onerous as DC. In Maryland, you are “prohibited to wear, carry or knowingly transport a handgun, whether concealed or open, in a vehicle.” The penalty is up to three years of incarceration and a $2,500 fine.
Typically, children from Virginia often attend schools in both the District and Maryland, so would not be uncommon for someone with a Virginia concealed carry license to drive across state lines to pick up a child from school in either location. Do that with your firearm, get caught and look out.
And these are just the carry ordinances. There are a plethora of laws regarding the purchase of firearms. In the case of the Texas shooting, Devin P. Kelley lied on his application to purchase a gun. Someone who is sufficiently unstable to blow away more than a dozen people innocently sitting in a church is not likely to worry about making false statements on some bureaucratic government form. It probably isn’t even a blip on their moral radar screen.
Numero Dos: “Gun Free” Zones
In most states, having a firearm where you just might need it most — to do the most good — is verboten. These “gun free zones” make it a big, fat “no” to carry a firearm on school grounds, church grounds, public parks and municipal buildings. In New York parlance when it comes to possessing a gun in these heavily restricted areas, you can just “Fuggedaboutit.” As well, the geniuses in many statehouses across the country have doubled-down on penalties for carrying in these places. If caught, you’re likely to be viewing the world from the county lockup until the Law Offices of Bail My Ass Out & Associates can get to you.
And so dear readers, one must ask: What would have happened if someone inside that Texas church was packing heat? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Logic tells you the shooter – even with an AR-15 – would have killed fewer innocent people and probably been taken out a lot sooner. At the very least those poor folks sitting in the pew waiting to sing “Amazing Grace” or whatever was next in the church bulletin would have had a fighting chance.
Numero Tres: Fewer Guns Will Make America Safe Again
For quite some time now the statistics have failed to show that fewer firearms make safe and cozy communities. Just take a look at Chicago. But the left is tone deaf to this fact because it interrupts their narrative. What if the Texas hero, Stephen Willeford, who pursued and wounded the shooter didn’t have his own AR-15? We all know the answer to that one.
In the final analysis, a good guy with a gun is not just a good thing, but one could make the case it is necessary and indispensable in these troubled times.
The left will never admit these three obvious truths that have been elucidated in the Texas church massacre. But the next time a leftist tries to corner you with the need for more gun laws, gun free zones and the need to disarm the American population, you only need to respond with one word:
Texas.
