The Virginia-Pilot cites homicide among youths as common cause for ideological opponents to set aside their differences:

Gun-control and gun rights activists have sharp differences. But they should be able to agree on this: keeping firearms out of the hands of young men who use them to kill.

"Who use them to kill..."?

Absolutely. I could not agree more.

Where the disagreement arises is in how to make that happen.

One side advocates increasing restrictions on firearms ownership, that is, more "gun control" laws. Yet, as the Pilot admits, guns are available through criminal channels via purchase, trade or theft. And while costs and risks involved make such transactions significantly more problematic than the hyperbolic analogy of "buying a loaf of bread, a pair of gym shoes or the latest CD" (do teens even buy CDs any more?), it's no secret that if a criminal wants a gun he can get one.

Thing is, he'll have to willfully break several edicts to do it.

No problem.

There are strict laws regulating dealing in firearms. There are strict laws defining "prohibited persons" who may not legally even touch a firearm. There are strict laws forbidding possession of guns by minors and "illegally" carrying them concealed. There are strict laws against brandishing a gun, threatening someone with one, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting people who aren't attacking you...

There are laws against murder.

They don't seem to be working very well with people inclined to disobey them, do they?

It's no surprise, really. We've been able to observe this for a very long time, and it was formally summarized by Don B. Kates and Gary Mauser in the Spring 2007 Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Their conclusion?

"In 2004," Kates and Mauser tell us, "the US National Academy of Sciences ... failed to identify any gun control that reduced violent crime, suicides or gun accidents." This was "from a review of 153 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, and some original empirical research. The same conclusion was reached in 2003 by the US Centers for Disease Control...."

Bottom line: so-called "gun control" doesn't work. Imposing more of it won't work, either.

It's nice to see The Pilot forgo typical demands for even more gun restrictions that criminals will ignore, and advocate instead:

Parents must be involved in their children's lives. Adults, especially men, must be mentors to youths who need them...

That and holding people accountable for their actions...

Those of us who take our responsibilities as citizens seriously question why any adult in our society needs to be told that. Regardless--the unwillingness or inability of some to behave themselves is no claim for restrictions on our freedoms.

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Examining the anti-gun gang

Dallas Libertarian Examiner Garry Reed takes a look at some of the coverage his fellow Examiners, including yours truly, have provided on the "gun control" front.

Go give it a read.