Creepy Green Light
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius
So I saw this on Reddit today. Anybody agree or disagree with what this guys suggestions are to prevent mass shootings?
So what can we do?
You'll find that redditors against most gun control aren't actually against all gun control. They are against ineffective laws that are doomed to failure, or stalking horses for further restrictions without any benefit. Rather than go into detail, I'll let this post from author, firearms trainer, competitor, former gun dealer, and all around awesome dude Larry Correia say it for me:
An Opinion on Gun Control, repost
With that in mind, here's my list of improvements that can be made:
Identify the existing problems common with mass shootings and policies that failed
First and foremost, can we all agree that the "make sure the crazy guy is the only one armed" plan isn't working? Whatever your feelings are on ccw, we have thoroughly established that "no guns allowed" policies aren't effective without actual security. And I mean airport and courthouse and the like security, not "hurr durr here's a sign"
With that in mind, if you aren't going to harden up these areas, you need to let people defend themselves within the law, without risk of firing or expulsion.
Second, identify what hasn't worked and will continue to fail:
Strict gun control does not work
Let's recap with the existing California laws that didn't stop San Bernardino:
In particular Gun Free Zones are a total failure. Every School Shooting has been in a Gun Free Zone. The Aurora movie theater prohibited concealed carry. Florida prohibits concealed carry at nightclubs, which didn't stop the Orlando Pulse Shooting. Military installations prohibit concealed carry, yet that didn't stop the Ft Hood Shooter.
Disarming good people does not make bad people harmless. It just ensures there are plenty of victims who cannot fight back.
Third, we need to take action to fix the background check system.
We need mandatory federal NICS standardization and compliance a la http://www.fixnics.org - the gun industry has been pushing this for years and it would have prevented the Charleston shooting, the Lafayette movie theater one, and the Navy Yard shooting, and the Texas Church shooting. Get the existing system working correctly and stop people slipping through the cracks. The background check system is only as good as the information put in it.
It does no good to make gun control laws into felonies if you don't prosecute. If someone is stopped on a background check because they are a felon, put them in jail. Obama talked tough on this but didn't deliver. BUT neither has any president. This is a decades long problem, across all administrations.
Nobody has ever cracked down on these crimes - you know how you hear about background checks stopping [x] number of felons from getting guns? Each of those is a slam dunk fed felony with prison time up to ten years and fines up to $250k. Seriously, check out the ATF Form 4473 that gets filled out every time a background check is performed at a gun store - break the law = 10 years in prison and up to $250k in fines. Guess what? They aren't enforced ever so they aren't effective deterrents - they are a toothless threat.
Open NICS to the public
Next open a public, smartphone accessible NICS portal to allow private sellers to prevent unlawful transfers - not perfect but better than nothing and a positive defense against trafficking charges. See the Coburn proposal for additional details
Policy changes regarding dangerous persons with mental health issues.
There need to be clear reporting policies for people who are a danger to themselves and others. This is tough because on one hand you don't want to prevent people getting help. On the other hand, Holmes told his therapist about wanting to kill people before Aurora and she sent his journal by snail mail instead of getting the cops out there.
After Sandy Hook in 2013 Rep Murphy proposed HR2646 that would make positive changes in getting people treatment and stopping them before they become dangerous. A version was finally made law last year.
Stopping things before they start
Violence interruption work such as what Dr Gary Slutkin does - Transcript of "Let's treat violence like a contagious disease" - this has worked everywhere it's been tried from Chicago to Iraq.
See also Richmond California's efforts which led to a 2/3 reduction of murders - Did this city bring down its murder rate by paying people not to kill? - stop likely offenders before they turn into murderers by making them productive members of society. This involves police work and community outreach.
Finally, Law Enforcement & Authorities MUST DO THEIR JOB.
Many of these shooters have prior run ins with law enforcement before they act.
The Stoneman Douglass School Shooting was a failure of law enforcement, top to bottom. The FBI was given specific information about the shooter months before it took place, including information about his firearms ownership, social media postings and more. They did not follow up.
The Broward County Sheriffs had been to his residence 39 times prior to the shooting.
"See Something, Say Something" only works if law enforcement does something.
Beyond these suggestions
Removing root causes of crime, depression & more would reduce violence across the board. The usual free healthcare, better mental health overall, after school programs etc - I don't think anyone disagrees on those. Decriminalize pot to remove the profit motives for killing each other, and free up resources for actual police work.
This is a start that would have stopped multiple mass shootings.
So what can we do?
You'll find that redditors against most gun control aren't actually against all gun control. They are against ineffective laws that are doomed to failure, or stalking horses for further restrictions without any benefit. Rather than go into detail, I'll let this post from author, firearms trainer, competitor, former gun dealer, and all around awesome dude Larry Correia say it for me:
An Opinion on Gun Control, repost
With that in mind, here's my list of improvements that can be made:
Identify the existing problems common with mass shootings and policies that failed
First and foremost, can we all agree that the "make sure the crazy guy is the only one armed" plan isn't working? Whatever your feelings are on ccw, we have thoroughly established that "no guns allowed" policies aren't effective without actual security. And I mean airport and courthouse and the like security, not "hurr durr here's a sign"
With that in mind, if you aren't going to harden up these areas, you need to let people defend themselves within the law, without risk of firing or expulsion.
Second, identify what hasn't worked and will continue to fail:
Strict gun control does not work
Let's recap with the existing California laws that didn't stop San Bernardino:
- Universal Background Checks.
- Assault Weapons Ban
- High Capacity Magazine Ban
- Detachable magazine ban on rifles with certain cosmetic features.
- Mandatory safety testing before purchasing a gun
- Mandatory handgun registration
- Mandatory long gun registration
- Mandatory waiting periods after purchasing
- One gun a month purchasing limits
- Ban on open carry
- Defacto ban against concealed carry through "may issue" laws
- Total prohibition against pipe bombs
In particular Gun Free Zones are a total failure. Every School Shooting has been in a Gun Free Zone. The Aurora movie theater prohibited concealed carry. Florida prohibits concealed carry at nightclubs, which didn't stop the Orlando Pulse Shooting. Military installations prohibit concealed carry, yet that didn't stop the Ft Hood Shooter.
Disarming good people does not make bad people harmless. It just ensures there are plenty of victims who cannot fight back.
Third, we need to take action to fix the background check system.
We need mandatory federal NICS standardization and compliance a la http://www.fixnics.org - the gun industry has been pushing this for years and it would have prevented the Charleston shooting, the Lafayette movie theater one, and the Navy Yard shooting, and the Texas Church shooting. Get the existing system working correctly and stop people slipping through the cracks. The background check system is only as good as the information put in it.
- Dylan Roof, the Charleston shooter, was awaiting trial on drug charges. Had the information been entered into NICS correctly, he would have been denied his purchase
- The Lafayette movie theater shooter had been denied a concealed carry permit due to a domestic violence complaint & arson violation.
- The Navy Yard Shooter had been arrested multiple times previously for firearms violations, including shooting out a man's tires.
- The Texas Church Shooter was courtmartialled from the Air Force and convicted of domestic violence. The Air Force failed to report him to NICS.
It does no good to make gun control laws into felonies if you don't prosecute. If someone is stopped on a background check because they are a felon, put them in jail. Obama talked tough on this but didn't deliver. BUT neither has any president. This is a decades long problem, across all administrations.
Nobody has ever cracked down on these crimes - you know how you hear about background checks stopping [x] number of felons from getting guns? Each of those is a slam dunk fed felony with prison time up to ten years and fines up to $250k. Seriously, check out the ATF Form 4473 that gets filled out every time a background check is performed at a gun store - break the law = 10 years in prison and up to $250k in fines. Guess what? They aren't enforced ever so they aren't effective deterrents - they are a toothless threat.
Open NICS to the public
Next open a public, smartphone accessible NICS portal to allow private sellers to prevent unlawful transfers - not perfect but better than nothing and a positive defense against trafficking charges. See the Coburn proposal for additional details
Policy changes regarding dangerous persons with mental health issues.
There need to be clear reporting policies for people who are a danger to themselves and others. This is tough because on one hand you don't want to prevent people getting help. On the other hand, Holmes told his therapist about wanting to kill people before Aurora and she sent his journal by snail mail instead of getting the cops out there.
After Sandy Hook in 2013 Rep Murphy proposed HR2646 that would make positive changes in getting people treatment and stopping them before they become dangerous. A version was finally made law last year.
Stopping things before they start
Violence interruption work such as what Dr Gary Slutkin does - Transcript of "Let's treat violence like a contagious disease" - this has worked everywhere it's been tried from Chicago to Iraq.
See also Richmond California's efforts which led to a 2/3 reduction of murders - Did this city bring down its murder rate by paying people not to kill? - stop likely offenders before they turn into murderers by making them productive members of society. This involves police work and community outreach.
Finally, Law Enforcement & Authorities MUST DO THEIR JOB.
Many of these shooters have prior run ins with law enforcement before they act.
The Stoneman Douglass School Shooting was a failure of law enforcement, top to bottom. The FBI was given specific information about the shooter months before it took place, including information about his firearms ownership, social media postings and more. They did not follow up.
The Broward County Sheriffs had been to his residence 39 times prior to the shooting.
"See Something, Say Something" only works if law enforcement does something.
Beyond these suggestions
Removing root causes of crime, depression & more would reduce violence across the board. The usual free healthcare, better mental health overall, after school programs etc - I don't think anyone disagrees on those. Decriminalize pot to remove the profit motives for killing each other, and free up resources for actual police work.
This is a start that would have stopped multiple mass shootings.