5 examples of why gun control is ineffective

While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr. Hinckley used a small .22 caliber revolver loaded with Devastator cartridges, which had explosive tips. He had purchased the gun at a pawn shop in Dallas, Texas.Hinckley stood on the sidewalk outside the Hilton and opened fire as Reagan exited. White House Press Secretary James Brady was shot in the head. District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty was shot in the back of his neck as he turned to protect Reagan.  Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy was shot in the abdomen. Reagan was hit by a ricochet off the presidential limousine. Reagan suffered a punctured lung and heavy internal bleeding, but prompt medical attention allowed him to recover quickly.  Press Secretary James Brady was left paralyzed and permanently disabled.As a result of this shooting, the Brady Bill was passed, requiring criminal background checks of individuals attempting to purchase handguns. Hinckley had no criminal record at the time of the shooting, and would have been allowed to purchase the gun he ultimately used to shoot 4 people with.In March 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald purchased a 6.5 mm Carcano Model 91/38 rifle by mail order and subsequently assasinated President John F. Kennedy as he passed in a motorcade in Dallas,Texas. The rifle he used was an Italian made military issue bolt action rifle with a six round clip.The subsequent passage of The Gun Control Act of 1968 effectively prohibited the sale of guns through the mail. Many high powered hunting rifles made at the same time were bolt action, and theoretically Oswald could have made the same shot using an equivalent action rifle available at a local sporting goods store.Charles Joseph Whitman  killed 14 people and wounded 32 others in a mass shooting rampage located in and around the Tower of the University of Texas in Austin on the afternoon of August 1, 1966. Three people were shot and killed inside the university's tower and 11 others were murdered after Whitman fired at random from the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building.Whitman's weaponry included a Universal M1 carbine, a sawed off 12-gauge shotgun, a Remington 700 6mm bolt-action hunting rifle, a .35 caliber pump rifle, a .30 caliber carbine, a 9mm Luger pistol, a Galesi-Brescia .25-caliber pistol and a Smith & Wesson M19 .357 Magnum revolver, and over 700 rounds of ammunition.The majority of these weapons are easily obtained to this day, as they have been unaffected by gun control laws throughout the decades.View the list »
Police at Sandy Hook Elementary

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Since the recent re-election of Pres. Barack Obama and the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Conneticut, gun rights advocates have been up in arms over the fear of having their guns taken away. Ammunition has become scarce and legal assault rifles have become harder to find and more expensive as fearful citizens buy while they can. Yet, in spite of all the rumors of gun control, nothing in the recent proposals put forth by the Obama administration require surrender of weapons. Remember the infamous NRA bumper sticker? "They can have my gun when they pry it out of my cold dead hand"? It seems the only real effect from the hype is soaring gun sales.

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The Sandy Hook shooting involved two handguns and a Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle. Initial reports indicated that shooter Adam Lanza used a 10mm Glock handgun and a 9mm SIG Sauer P226 handgun to commit the murders of nearly two dozen people. A later report from the Connecticut coroner stated that a long rifle was the principal weapon, ie the Bushmaster assault rifle. This spread the controversy around the internet as people for and against gun control argued over which weapon was actually used.

One could argue that gun control would have prevented the legal possession of any type of assault rifle. On the other side of the argument is the fact that criminals are not concerned with "legally" owning weapons of any kind. One could also return to the handguns Lanza was carrying as just as deadly and effective in mass shootings. The fact is, given the age of his victims, even if he had been carrying a six-shot revolver he could have continued indefinitely had the police not shown up. The intent of a human being to commit murder is never hindered by available weaponry.

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  • Charles Joseph Whitman  killed 14 people and wounded 32 others in a mass shooting rampage located in and around the Tower of the University of Texas in Austin on the afternoon of August 1, 1966. Three people were shot and killed inside the university's tower and 11 others were murdered after Whitman fired at random from the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building.Whitman's weaponry included a Universal M1 carbine, a sawed off 12-gauge shotgun, a Remington 700 6mm bolt-action hunting rifle, a .35 caliber pump rifle, a .30 caliber carbine, a 9mm Luger pistol, a Galesi-Brescia .25-caliber pistol and a Smith & Wesson M19 .357 Magnum revolver, and over 700 rounds of ammunition.The majority of these weapons are easily obtained to this day, as they have been unaffected by gun control laws throughout the decades.
  • In March 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald purchased a 6.5 mm Carcano Model 91/38 rifle by mail order and subsequently assasinated President John F. Kennedy as he passed in a motorcade in Dallas,Texas. The rifle he used was an Italian made military issue bolt action rifle with a six round clip.The subsequent passage of The Gun Control Act of 1968 effectively prohibited the sale of guns through the mail. Many high powered hunting rifles made at the same time were bolt action, and theoretically Oswald could have made the same shot using an equivalent action rifle available at a local sporting goods store.
  • While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr. Hinckley used a small .22 caliber revolver loaded with Devastator cartridges, which had explosive tips. He had purchased the gun at a pawn shop in Dallas, Texas.Hinckley stood on the sidewalk outside the Hilton and opened fire as Reagan exited. White House Press Secretary James Brady was shot in the head. District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty was shot in the back of his neck as he turned to protect Reagan.  Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy was shot in the abdomen. Reagan was hit by a ricochet off the presidential limousine. Reagan suffered a punctured lung and heavy internal bleeding, but prompt medical attention allowed him to recover quickly.  Press Secretary James Brady was left paralyzed and permanently disabled.As a result of this shooting, the Brady Bill was passed, requiring criminal background checks of individuals attempting to purchase handguns. Hinckley had no criminal record at the time of the shooting, and would have been allowed to purchase the gun he ultimately used to shoot 4 people with.
  • On October 2, 2006, Roberts entered the one-room West Nickel Mines School at 9:51 a.m. with a Springfield XD 9 mm handgun, a Browning 12 gauge shotgun, a Ruger .30-06 bolt-action rifle, about 600 rounds of ammunition, cans of black powder, a stun gun, two knives, a change of clothes, an apparent truss board and a box containing a hammer, hacksaw, pliers, wire, screws, bolts and tape.By the time police entered the schoolroom less than an hour later, Roberts had shot 10  female students, killing 5, before turning the gun on himself.All of the items Roberts carried into the building are readily available at any local Wal-mart with the exception of the 9mm and the stun gun. The rifle and shotgun in particular have never been considered when the subject of gun control comes up, as these are standard hunting rifles.
  • Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Commonly referred to as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the attack killed 168 people and injured over 800.McVeigh stated he had planned the bombing as retaliation for the government's handling of Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas. Although he expressed little remorse for his actions, he stated that had he known there was a daycare located in the Murrah building he might have chosen another target. He then went on to explain how American wars often involve the loss of innocents, including children.McVeigh carried out his attack using a rented moving truck and a large amount of explosives created using common ingredients, including fertilizer and race fuel.
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, Central Florida Crime Examiner

W. Scott Bowlin is a freelance writer who has lived in Lake County, Florida for over thirty years. He has written for several magazines, including Lake Magazine and Industrial Tradesman, and is currently working on a crime novel. He can be contacted at wsbelectr@aol.com .

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