We all get so tired of this. Leftists react with emotions and no brains when something tragic happens. Some of them are probably even happy to see a mass shooting so they can renew their assault on liberty. Regardless, they love the mantra that doing anything is better than doing nothing.
And, since they understand how hard it is to catch a mass shooter before a crime is committed, leftists settle for attacking the tool. It’s like trying to outlaw computers in order to stop hate speech (which is a whole different can of worms).
So, we’re talking about every kind of gun control under the sun. Propositions range from expanded background checks to gun registrations and even outright confiscation. It’s exhausting.
Somehow, in the midst of unrelenting insanity, there are actual politicians using their brains and looking at policy that just might reduce the rate of incidence and severity of mass shootings. These politicians just so happen to be in Texas.
The New Laws
Texas has always been a thought leader on self-defense and gun laws. They were among the first to have school districts arm teachers, and so far, none of those districts have had any shootings at all.
In the wake of the El Paso shooting, Texas is doubling down on policy that appears to have been successful. The state is trying to empower citizens rather than line them up for slaughter. There are three bills up for vote that can accomplish this in a few important ways.
The first is House bill 1143. It tackles restrictions around schools. Right now, Texas is like most of the U.S., and in most cases it is illegal to have a gun in a car that is parked at a school. Bill 1143 will reduce those restrictions and allow guns to be stored in locked cars. That’s not a perfect solution, but it does lend a little more defensive prowess to employees and visitors.
House Bill 2363 remembers that foster parents are still citizens. Until now, there have been heavy restrictions on foster parents’ freedom to have a gun in the house. This bill would restore that freedom, provided the guns are safely stored (you can’t win ‘em all).
Lastly, we have Senate Bill 535. This one applies to churches and places of worship. In Texas, places of worship have the same set of rules as businesses. Any business can choose to make their premises gun-free. While 535 doesn’t completely reverse this, it substantially reduces penalties for anyone who carries a firearm in a place of worship that has banned firearms. Texas is trying to protect people who rise up and protect their church. That’s an excellent step in the right direction.
Time Will Tell
Ultimately, we’re going to have to compare the Texas approach to that of other states. California and similarly progressive states crack down on gun freedoms every chance they get. So far, their efforts have provided no measurable change to gun crime. Meanwhile, Texas is taking bold steps in a different direction. These are new bills, so we’ll have to wait and see how well they do, but any literate American has a good idea of where this road leads.
So, until the new data is in, we’ll leave you with a few important facts. First, a comprehensive analysis shows that no currently proposed gun laws would have stopped the shootings in El Paso or Dayton (or pretty much anywhere else).
Additionally, it’s important to remember that the CDC rather recently conducted a study that shows defensive uses of firearms far outnumbers offensive uses. That particular report showed that gun deaths number around 30,000 a year. Conversely, guns save at least 500,000 lives each year, and the number might be as high as 3 million.
Here’s your last bit of info. Since Dayton and El Paso, and armed citizen has already stopped a mass shooting. It happened in a Walmart in Missouri, and it’s just more evidence that Texas has it right. If we want to stop mass shootings, it’s up to the people. Let’s get the government out of the way.
