The state of Massachusetts is, without a doubt, one of the most anti-gun states in the nation. They’ve gone out of their way to restrict people’s gun rights rather excessively and they’re continuing to do just that.
Yet that isn’t the problem.
Oh no, the problem is that folks there, like in many other states, are thoroughly indoctrinated into believing gun control makes them safer.
That’s pretty clear based on a poll from Boston.com.
We asked our readers if they think Massachusetts should regulate ghost guns, and the majority (62%) of the 240 respondents to our poll said yes, with 38% against regulations.
A report by State Police found a 75% increase in the recovery of untraceable guns between 2021 and 2022 alone.
…
Yes
“Ghost guns are clearly intended to circumvent current gun laws and so the loopholes allowing them to circulate need to be closed for the safety of all of us in the Commonwealth.” – Jim O., Groton
“Without a question of a doubt, all loopholes to unlawful carry and access to illegal guns should be quashed immediately, and breaking these laws should be met with harsh repercussions.” – Brian, East Boston
“Statistics show that states with stricter gun regulations, like Massachusetts, have lower per capita gun deaths. Why on Earth would we choose to then allow unregulated, untraceable ghost guns?” – Bea P., Medford
“Ghost guns are just as deadly as regular guns, but they are completely under the radar. They can be bought online by anyone too young or too old to safely operate a gun, or those with criminal records or mental health issues. Ghost guns absolutely need to be regulated to keep the rest of us safe.” – Jennifer, Peabody
Here’s what none of these people understand about so-called ghost guns: They’re not the problem you’ve been told they are.
First, a “ghost gun” is nothing but an unserialized firearm. They’re sold to criminals because criminals want guns and someone is going to feed that demand. If ghost guns go away, the guns will just come from somewhere else.
Second, this idea that they’re untraceable is a common talking point among anti-gun voices, but once a gun is stolen from another–a major source of guns in criminal hands, it should be noted–tracing is useless. You might narrow down who it was stolen from but that’s about it, and often only if it was from the original owner.
See, every one of the things quoted above are anti-gun talking points that get repeated throughout the media. People see it and accept it because there’s not really enough pushback on those points.
It’s not that there’s no one in Massachusetts willing to push back, either. There are tons of pro-gun advocates who would be happy to do so. It’s just that the media there won’t give them the time or opportunity to do so.
Which is funny because the media always seems willing to let anti-gun voices respond to pro-gun claims rather extensively.
Regardless, this poll, which isn’t scientific in the least, is a prime example of just how people have internalized the anti-gun indoctrination we see in the media.
Now, it should be noted that there were pro-gun voices, and even one guy who said he was in favor of gun control but recognized that a “ghost gun” ban was unenforceable. If only he’d see that about the rest of gun control…
Regardless, we have our work cut out for us and we have to do it with a media that simply isn’t interested in the facts. If we don’t find a way, though, we’re going to see this on a grander scale sooner or later.
