Let's Control Those Guns

Following the terrible school shooting in Connecticut, not to mention the shooting only a couple of days before at an Oregon mall, there will of course be calls for stricter gun control. There always are.

This is purely a cynical ploy by politicians, as far as I can see. They need to be seen to be “doing something” to prevent such things from happening. Few seem to stop to think whether gun control is the best way to do it. It recommends itself instead because it is an easy thing to do; not because it would fix the problem.

As far as I can tell, there are no stats to indicate that tighter gun control leads to fewer deaths from gun-related crime. The Wikipedia entry on “gun control” has none. Logically, the same law that makes it harder for the aggressor to get a gun makes it less likely for the victim to have a gun with which to defend himself. Seems like a zero-sum game. Except that gun control interferes in the lives of ordinary citizens, and gives us that much less freedom.