2019’s record mass killings illustrate gun control failures
Bottom Line: Generally speaking, it doesn’t work. I’m talking about gun control. We can make this a complicated conversation, lord knows many do, often in the name of political/emotional interests over pragmatism and reality – but we don’t need to. In a recent story about the record murders and violence in Mexico, mostly commonly with guns being the weapon of choice, I pointed out that Mexico’s gun laws are among the most restrictive in the world. The process to legally possess takes months, there’s no guarantee you’ll be approved, and if you are, you’re only allowed to legally purchase a .22, which you must purchase from the only legal gun seller in the country. A single state-run store in Mexico City. As a result, only 1% of Mexicans legally own a gun – and it’s only a .22. Yet tens of thousands are murdered by illegally owned firearms annually and honest Mexicans are rendered essentially defenseless. Gun control hasn’t worked in Mexico. But this is a story about the US in 2019 – with similar themes.
A record 41 mass killings have occurred in the US in 2019 resulting in the third highest number of victims, 211. They’re defined as the murder of four or more people in a single attack. According to the Giffords Law Center, California currently has the strongest gun control laws in the country. Guess which state leads the country in gun mass deaths? Yep, Cali. And it’s not just because California is the largest state. California has 12% of the US population but 20% of the mass shootings in the country – while having the strictest gun laws in the country. As for Florida, we’re ranked with the 19th strictest gun control measures in the country after passing the Stoneman Douglas Safety Act last year. We now have stronger gun control measures than most states, and with 7% of the population, we accounted for 7% of the mass shootings in 2019.
If simply regulating guns fixed problems, Mexico would be one of the safest places on the planet and California would be the safest state in the country. Instead, we’re looking at literally the opposite. Maybe one day we’ll look to what’s wrong with people who’re killing others with guns rather than the guns they use to kill people? If we do, we’re bound to find solutions. If all we do is more of the same...