I’m against gun control. I’m also an idiot.

With another store of a mass shooting on the news, another round of people that say that they are against gun control make the rounds of facebook and twitter.

Listen for a second to what you are saying, because you’re not against gun control.  Trust me.  You still think you are?

If you really were really against gun control, you would want no law restricting anyone’s rights to buy, own, or shoot a gun.  This would be describing a world where a seven-year old can stop at the deli on his way to school to buy a semi and some rounds of ammo.

I’m assuming you don’t want to happen…which means that you are in favor of gun control.

Let’s just get that on the table.

Everyone is in favor of gun control.

Now instead of a inane conversation about whether or not we need gun control, we can have a nuanced conversation about how gun control laws are worded, enforced, and what other factors effect gun violence besides the law and enforcement thereof.

Gun control laws are not a lightswitch, that once flipped gun violence will turn off. 

• There are many examples of locations with strict gun control laws with very low gun violence.
• There are many examples of locations with strict gun control laws with very high gun violence.
• There are many examples of locations with very little gun control regulation with very low gun violence.
• There are many examples of locations with very little gun control regulation with very high gun violence.

None of these facts or the examples of them prove anything, so stop throwing them around as if they do.  Gun violence is a very complex pandemic in our society, and we all want less gun violence. (Trust me, and don’t make me go through another proof.)  So can we have the conversation “How do we reduce gun violence?” rather than “Is gun regulation good or bad?”

Please?

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