The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - What law would have prevented the AZ shooting?

**JohnKSa** · January 13, 2011, 01:13 AM

I'll confess up front that I haven't read all of this thread. That said...

Sometimes it's worthwhile to step back and look at the problem to make sure that it's actually been defined properly.

Is the issue really the "shooting"? I submit that the issue is the "killing" and "wounding". By allowing the focus to be drawn away from the crime and put on the method/means of the crime we miss the real problem.

Could we make laws that would have prevented Loughner from buying a gun? Maybe, but would it have really been preferable for him to have rented a moving van and taken a 60mph run at the crowd instead of unloading a pistol into them? Would things be better if he had walked into the crowd with a backpack full of homemade pipebombs and set them off?

Obviously not.

So, the question is really: What law would have prevented Loughner from killing and wounding innocents in AZ? The answer is that short of pre-emptively locking up anyone who seems weird until he can be proven to be harmless there's no way to do it.

January 13, 2011, 01:13 AM	#127
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,988	I'll confess up front that I haven't read all of this thread. That said... Sometimes it's worthwhile to step back and look at the problem to make sure that it's actually been defined properly. Is the issue really the "shooting"? I submit that the issue is the "killing" and "wounding". By allowing the focus to be drawn away from the crime and put on the method/means of the crime we miss the real problem. Could we make laws that would have prevented Loughner from buying a gun? Maybe, but would it have really been preferable for him to have rented a moving van and taken a 60mph run at the crowd instead of unloading a pistol into them? Would things be better if he had walked into the crowd with a backpack full of homemade pipebombs and set them off? Obviously not. So, the question is really: What law would have prevented Loughner from killing and wounding innocents in AZ? The answer is that short of pre-emptively locking up anyone who seems weird until he can be proven to be harmless there's no way to do it. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?