The Star of Gun Control

  For those who thought the assault weapons ban was history, listen up. The gun banners had a taste of victory for ten years. They had stolen power from the people, and it was a rush. When the ban faded into the sunset last fall, there was a general wailing and gnashing of teeth among those who thought the end was near for civilian firearms’ ownership. Like addicts suddenly cut off from their favorite drug, withdrawal set in, along with an overwhelming desire for revenge on those they mistakenly hold to be accountable for their suffering. They are waiting for any opportunity, and when there is a mass murder using a firearm, the misinformation machine—dormant but not dismantled—will swing back into high gear.

Two recent shootings were the ignition key for the Violence Policy Center public relations machine. Their home page recently declared:

A shooter armed with an AK-47 assault rifle killed three and wounded four, including three law enforcement officers, in Tyler, Texas on Thursday, February 24, 2005. On the same day, a Los Angeles city worker allegedly shot two co-workers, also with an AK-47. Both incidents starkly demonstrate the urgent need for a comprehensive nationwide ban on assault weapons such as the AK-47 assault rifles the shooters wielded.[1]

            What’s wrong with their statement?

The Texas shooter killed two people, not three, but three is 50% more dramatic and sounds more like a mass murder. The third person “killed” was the shooter, shot by police after a chase. VPC does not mention that the second person killed was an armed citizen who attempted to stop the shooter.[2] VPC does not credit the armed citizen with halting the shooting and saving at least one life, since nearby police were shot first, a strategy intended to clear the battlefield of trained resistance forces.[3] VPC does not mention that the shooter had a criminal history, and therefore it was already against the law for him to own any firearm.[4]

The LA shooting was the result of an argument in which an employee was reprimanded by his supervisor for coming to work late. The shooter went home, retrieved an AK-47, and returned to commit premeditated murder, which could have been accomplished by any means.[5] VPC ignores the fact that the AK-47 has been banned from all commerce in California since 1989, with any owned before 1989 requiring registration.[6] But we’ll give VPC a partial point and accept that the shooter has legally owned an AK-47 for at least 15 years.

Nevertheless, VPC wants to ban a gun that is already banned, naively believing this will stymie criminals. The clear evidence from Texas, posted in the VPC’s own press release, makes this a pipe dream. In a recent national survey, 96.5% of all police and sheriffs answered “Yes” when asked “Do you maintain that criminals currently are able to obtain basically any type of firearm by illegal means?”[7]

Demeaning the Sacrifice of a Good Man

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

Who was this person whom Violence Policy Center wishes revised out of history in their haste to twist the truth to fit their agenda? Mark Wilson gave his life protecting others. Here is what others say about him:[8]

We are so proud of our friend. We know Mark saved this young man's life by doing what he did. – Lorraine Childress, witness

With his knowledge of weapons, he would have immediately known it was gunfire and taken action. That's just Mark. He was always looking out for others. – Deborah O’Sullivan, wife of Wilson’s landlord

Wilson could be found sitting on the back deck of his loft cooking burgers and hot dogs on weekends, offering them to anyone who passed by. – related by Bob Cox, neighbor

About three years ago, Wilson went to work at Sealtite…Wilson started out as a carpenter refurbishing and building new office space, but his intensity and intelligence impressed his bosses so much that they eventually made him an assistant to the operations manager… “Man, I don't know what we ever did without the guy…” – related by Joedy Hargis, vice president of Sealtite

Conclusion

In the tradition of supermarket tabloids, VPC demonstrates great skill in combining tiny snippets of information with huge omissions of truth to sell a low-quality, titillating product to the gullible masses. Gun confiscation has been shown time and again, in many parts of the world, to have no significant impact on reducing crime.

Courage. Honor. Service unto others. Attributes Mark Wilson deeply understood; attributes irrelevant in VPC’s view of reality. Are they the type of people you want influencing political and social policies that will impact your civil rights, and quite possibly your right to life? They will win only if you let them. 

Endnotes

[1] VPC News for February 26, 2005, Violence Policy Center home page.
http://www.vpc.org/  

[2] GUNMAN KILLS 2, WOUNDS 4 IN SHOOTING ON SQUARE, KENNETH DEAN, MARK COLLETTE & JACQUE HILBURN, Tyler Morning Telegraph, February 24, 2005. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14032843&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=226369&rfi=6 

[3] Factory worker killed saving a man in Texas town square firefight, Max B. Baker, Bill Hanna, Kansas City Star, February 25, 2005.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/10994229.htm  

[4] Authorities say Texas shooter should never have obtained rifle, Jack Douglas, Jr., Bill Hanna, Max B. Baker, Kansas City Star, February 25, 2005.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/10995968.htm

[5] Gunned Downed, Grief Stricken Family Speaks Out, ABC 7 News, February 25, 2005.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/022505_nw_two_shoot_update.html

[6] California Penal Code Section 12275-12277, Findlaw for Legal Professionals.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/pen/12275-12277.html

[7] 16th Annual National Survey Results of Police Chiefs & Sheriffs, National Association of Chiefs of Police, 2004. http://www.aphf.org/surveyresults.pdf

[8] See 3.