What Gun Use Looks Like in the Real World, the headline proclaims. Well there’s a conversation stopper. A post with that header could go any number of ways, from gory pictures of gunshot wounds to, uh, gory pictures of gunshot wounds. In this case, the headline lingers over a piece written by Newsweek and CNN contributor David Frum at thedailybeast.com. So all we get is a terse anti-gun anecdote. “School shootings are rare. Gun use against violent intruders is also rare. The real world of American gun use looks more like this: You buy the gun to protect your home and family. But one day, your wife gets sassy. Maybe you’ve had a drink or two. And then … bang.” After that Frum blockquotes a story about Randall Floyd Lovett, a man who shot himself in the knee during a domestic dispute. What does that tell you? I tell you what it tells me . . .
Frum: It’s Not Insane, Racist, or Deluded People Who Take Lives, It’s the Guns
The crucial variable in mass shootings is not ideas but weapons. We cannot control ideas or speech and should not attempt to do so even if we could. But we could reduce access to the weaponry that converts ideology into atrocity. At least, other advanced countries find themselves able to do so. Almost every country … Read more