The New Crime Data Is Out
The FBI released the 2015 edition of Crime in the United States, giving us the latest. The bad news is that homicides are up (from 12,270 in 2014 to 13,455 in 2015). Why that is the case will be debated. But here is one tidbit that gun-grabbers will not want to mention: The number of homicides with rifles dropped from 258 in 2014 to 252 in 2015.
In a year with record-setting gun sales, and over a decade after the 1994 ban on certain semi-auto firearms expired, and in a country where AR-15s are flying off the shelf, the number of homicides with rifles of all types (not just the AR-15) dropped by six, when homicides overall climbed.
So why the constant drumbeat to ban categories of rifles?
Just How Many Gun Laws Does a Killer Break?
The Chicago Sun-Times recently released an editorial calling for more gun control. Not surprising there. But their first case calls for a closer look.
Paul Pagan is 32, and the definition of a career criminal. He’s been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a stolen car, marijuana possession, two counts of pointing a firearm at someone, and reckless conduct. At the time Pagan allegedly committed a murder, there was a warrant for his arrest.
The Chicago Sun-Times notes Pagan “had been arrested 39 times.”
Mr. Pagan is barred from possessing firearms under federal law for being a fugitive, for his felony convictions, and as a drug user. By picking up a gun, Pagan hits an 18 USC 922(g) trifecta (the first three items), and can get up to 30 years in the Federal slammer. But wait, there is more. The two counts of pointing a firearm at someone fall under a mandatory sentence enhancement under 18 USC 924(c)(1)(A). The “brandishing” enhancement is a mandatory seven years in the slammer. And now, Pagan also hits the “armed career criminal” and under 18 USC 924(e)(1) and gets a minimum 15-year sentence with no chance of parole or probation.
Is it any wonder why crime is up? There are tools that could put thugs like Pagan away for a long time, yet they don’t get used. Then the same folks who refuse to put away the bad guys then blame the NRA and law-abiding gun owners for bad things happening. I suppose that gun-grabbers figure we fit into some “basket of deplorables.”
No, Hillary, It’s Not a “Gun Epidemic”
During the first debate at Hofstra University, Hillary Clinton claimed America has a “gun epidemic.” I’ll wait and let you vent at the stupidity for a minute or two. Done? Okay, she is wrong on so many levels. But we’re used to that. Hillary seems to think background checks are the solution to the rising crime in this country.
Next, she says that “background checks” that include the “no fly list” are the answer. Well, let’s take a look at how many mass shooters in the last few years passed them: At least 17. Some of those who didn’t, by the way, stole the guns – a federal crime punishable by ten years in prison.
Not only that, the perps of three of the most recent terrorist attacks involving firearms were never on the “no fly” list. But Ted Kennedy was on that list. So are some kids as young as age four.
South Carolina School Shooting Shows Futility of Gun Control
You probably heard of the shooting at an elementary school in South Carolina. Two kids and a teacher were wounded, and as of this writing, one of the six-year-olds is in critical condition.
The alleged perp is a 14-year-old. Now, a basic understanding of gun laws at the federal and state level tells us that 14 is way too young to legally acquire a firearm of any kind. So, this kid was able to bypass the background check requirements, he was able to acquire a firearm, and allegedly carry out not just this shooting, but the murder of his father.
A 14-year-old kid was able to find ways around gun laws. What are the odds that if the gun-grabbers get the laws they want, that hardened criminals wouldn’t be able to do the same?
Think that over when you hear politicians call for new laws.