Sunday, June 26, 2022

On Victim Disarmament, the Answer is Still "No" ...

... and the "bipartisan" victim disarmament bill signed by US president Joe Biden doesn't change that even a little.

Per CNBC, the bill:

  • "enhances background checks for 18- to 21-year-old gun buyers," which just means that buyers in that age group will be acquiring guns through methods that don't take them through said background checks;
  • "close[s] the so-called boyfriend loophole and restrict gun ownership for domestic violence offenders who are not married to their partners," as if those people won't find ways to get guns if they want guns;
  • "sets up grants for states to encourage red-flag laws" that allow guns to be confiscated without due process, as if that's not already being done and as if that accomplishes anything but getting innocent victims and guilty cops killed; and
  • "fund[s] school safety and youth mental health programs," except of course programs that train teachers and students in appropriate use of firearms to take down mass shooters.
Anyone who wants to get a gun is still going to get a gun. Anyone who wants to keep a gun is still going to keep it (or, quite possibly, use that gun on someone trying to take it away). Anyone who wants to use a gun is still going to use a gun.

The overall effect on gun ownership/retention will be: Almost none.

The overall effect on "gun violence" will likely be a slight incremental increase from "red flag" confiscation attempts and from the inability of those who unwisely decide to be "law-abiding" in this case to defend themselves. Or maybe not, since the confiscation attempts were already happening whether justified by "law" or not, and most of those who unwisely choose to abide by victim disarmament measures were probably already doing so and then some.

In other words, this "bipartisan" nonsense is mostly just the usual theatrics.

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