The idea of gun-free zones is pretty optimistic. The idea that you can just declare a particular area as gun-free and everyone will follow that is predicated on the idea that everyone out there is generally law-abiding.
It's really kind of adorable when you think about it. This is the kind of thing that an autistic five-year-old [autistic people are notorious for following the rules] would think is a great idea, but most of us recognize that if we didn't have rule breakers, we wouldn't need to worry about people with guns in the first place.
And in the wake of the shooting at a Michigan LDS church this past weekend, we're reminded of just how stupid that kind of naivety can actually be.
If anyone has done yeoman’s work in pointing out the danger of so-called “gun-free” zones in our nation, it has been John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC). While his numerous warnings have seemingly fallen on the deaf ears of gun-ban advocates, he resolutely carries on, telling the truth that everyone needs to understand: “Gun-free” zones are only gun-free for the law-abiding.
After the September 28 attack at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Lott again pointed out how an attack in a “gun-free” zone resulted in no victims being able to defend themselves against the attacker.
“This clearly appears to be yet another mass shooting in a place where civilians were banned from having guns,” Lott wrote in a report on the CPRC website. “Michigan state law bans people carrying concealed weapons in churches unless one receives permission from church officials, and the Mormon church’s official policy prohibits giving such permission.”
As Lott noted, state law bans carry on “any property or facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other place of worship, unless the presiding official or officials allow concealed weapons.” The Mormon Church handbook states, “Churches are dedicated for the worship of God and as havens from the cares and concerns of the world. With the exception of current law enforcement officers, the carrying of lethal weapons on church property, concealed or otherwise, is prohibited.”
So, no one was going to get permission from the church to carry, unless someone went against the governing body, which most aren't likely to do.
Of course, I've heard that line of thinking from people who had an issue with carrying in church. My own late father, a retired policeman, felt the same way. Being the son of a Southern Baptist pastor likely played a role. However, when I pointed out that it might be a haven from the "cares and concerns of the world," the problems of the world don't always decide to stay outside. Far too often, they burst in and bring horrors with them.
The fact that we have a list of church shootings should be a testament to that all by itself.
On the flip side, let's remember what happened in White Settlement, Texas, when a volunteer security guard put down a potential mass shooter with a glorious shot, ending the threat before any more loss of life could occur.
Good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns. Yes, the "good guys with guns" include the police, but the faster a good guy with a gun is on the scene, the faster the shooting stops.
Greenwood Park Mall is another high-profile example of guns saving lives. It had been a gun-free zone, but Eli Dickens had a firearm, used it, and ended the mass shooting before it could get any worse.
But in Michigan, there was no one to stop the killer. No one there was equipped to stop him as he began his rampage.
Gun-free zones are optimistic naivety at its finest, at best. At worst, though, it's a willful attempt to demonize guns as the true evil in this world, all while ignoring the damage created by these zones.
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