Arm them all; let God sort out the innocent

At this time in our country it’s almost impossible to track the sheer number of gun-related shooting atrocities that seem to define Life in These United States. Try to count them, I dare you. It’s inevitable that at least one or two obvious shooting sprees will escape your memory, especially the early ones like Columbine.

But now it seems as if every day the media pounds us with shooting, after shooting, after shooting. Nary a day goes by when someone, or group, grabs their 15-minutes with reports of a shootout and standoff. The headlines scream for gun control, and yet they continue to scream about more and more shootings. It really can make a reader dizzy just trying to keep up with the crime counts.

And the media, and certain political elements as well, point their fingers at the US’s supposedly lax gun laws. They argue that fewer guns will result in fewer of such atrocities, like Sandy Hook. But that argument really doesn’t hold a lot of water.

Criminals, and especially those with an inclination toward mass murder, will never have a problem finding weapons to use. If you don’t have a gun, an old pressure cooker will do. And you can find those at yard sales all over the country. In fact, you don’t even need a police record check to buy one.

Now, it may be that some remnant cabbage may get caught up in the man-made bomb you are making, but the ease and facility with which this type of IED can be constructed could make it the weapon of choice for future killers.

So it’s just a bit surprising when we look at the microcosm that is Virginia that there seems to be a relationship between gun sales and gun-related violence. No, it’s not what you might think. While gun sales have skyrocketed in the state, there has been a decided drop in gun-related violent crimes.

According to a story by Mark Bowes, which appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, gun-related crimes in Virginia have dropped for the fourth straight year. Gun crimes in the state have dropped five percent over the past four years from 4,618 offenses in 2011 to 4,378 last year, according to Virginia State Police data, Bowes wrote.

On the other hand, gun sales in the state have increased by 16 percent in 2012. Virginians purchased 490,119 guns in 2012 compared to a measly 444,844 in 2011.

Coincidence? I hardly think so.

It’s hard for me to believe that nearly a million weapons have been purchased in the state over the past two years because more people are interested in culling the state’s deer population. With more than 900,000 legal guns in the hands of the populace, it seems to me that gun-toting criminals are taking notice. It seems every day there’s a new story about a good Samaritan whipping out his pistol and gunning down a would be armed robber.

Deterrent? Not much better than the potential loss of life.

In reality, I’m not sure that we can bridge increased gun sales and lower gun-crime statistics. But it makes good fodder for the newspapers, and adds to the on-going debate about gun registration and gun control. The one thing about which I am certain is that anyone interested in using a gun in a crime doesn’t need to go out and buy one from a place that will do a criminal records check. Guns are available almost anywhere, and those who turn to that option will always be able to find the necessary means.