Paul Schock

Yes, more capable guns can do more harm in the hands of evil people. That's not groundbreaking. Obviously, an AR15 is more capable than a revolver or a bolt-action rifle. But it's also constitutionally protected precisely because of that capability. The Second Amendment is not about the minimum-possible lethality that is still effective for self-defense. It recognizes a natural right to keep and bear arms for personal and common defense, against everything from rabid animals and criminals, to tyrannical armies and foreign invaders. Moreover, of the tens of millions of AR15s and similar rifles out there, an astonishingly small percentage of them are every used in any crime. Still, I agree that we should address rare mass shootings, and there are a number of ways to do this: 1. Stop releasing violent criminals early, as Everytown's political allies frequently do. Like Smiley Martin, who committed the Sacramento mass shooting that got Everytown to successfully push for a Glock sales ban in California. He was out of prison 6 years early thanks to Everytown-endorsed Governor Newsom's initiatives, serving only about 3 years for felony domestic violence. (I see why they don't want to stop releasing criminals - those criminals give them pretexts to pass more gun control!) 2. Stop making everywhere a "sensitive place." At this point we know from numerous mass shooter manifestos that they specifically target places where armed resistance is unlikely. Stopping law-abiding people from carrying guns just creates a dream setting for killers. If a series of these scumbags met humiliating ends at the hands of a quick armed response, many of them would stop trying. As the data shows, people with carry permits almost never commit crimes. There is no reason to ban them from carrying in so many places, as they present no public safety threat. Unless of course, Everytown wants mass shootings to be successful so they can ban more guns. In that scenario, of course they don't want any pesky armed citizens stopping their next gun ban push. 3. Stop giving mass shooters the media infamy a portion of them crave. While not true of all mass shooters, many in that profile do desire the media coverage prior ones have gotten. That should be denied to them as much as possible. smokinggun.org/new-report-as…