John Stossel of ABC News: Gun Control Isn’t Crime Control
Date: Apr 30, 2007 6:08 PM
FYI (copy below):
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3083618&page=1

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Gun Control Isn’t Crime Control
Stricter Gun Control Laws Wouldn’t Have Prevented Va. Tech
Tragedy
OPINION by JOHN STOSSEL
April 26, 2007

This past Tuesday the governor of Virginia announced he
would close the loophole that allowed Seung-Hui Cho to buy
the guns he used to kill 32 people — and himself — on the
Virginia Tech campus. OK, it’s a good idea to keep guns out
of the hands of people who are mentally unstable. But be
careful about how far the calls for gun control go, because
the idea that gun control laws lower gun crime is a myth.

After the 1997 shooting of 16 kids in Dunblane, England, the
United Kingdom passed one of the strictest gun-control laws
in the world, banning its citizens from owning almost all
types of handguns. Britain seemed to get safer by the
minute, as 162,000 newly-illegal firearms were forked over
to British officials by law-abiding citizens.

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But this didn’t decrease the amount of gun-related crime in
the U.K. In fact, gun-related crime has nearly doubled in
the U.K. since the ban was enacted.

Might stricter gun laws result in more gun crime? It seems
counterintuitive but makes sense if we consider one simple
fact: Criminals don’t obey the law. Strict gun laws, like
the ban in Britain, probably only affect the actions of
people who wouldn’t commit crimes in the first place.

England’s ban didn’t magically cause all British handguns to
disappear. Officials estimate that more than 250,000
illegal weapons are still in circulation in the country.
Without the fear of retaliation from victims who might be
packing heat, criminals in possession of these weapons now
have a much easier job, and the incidence of gun-related
crime has risen. As the saying goes, “If guns are outlawed,
only outlaws will have guns.”

It’s true that if gun control laws had been stricter in
Virginia, Seung-Hui Cho would have had a more difficult time
getting ahold of the weapons he used to gun down innocent
students and teachers. But it’s foolish to assume that
stricter gun laws will prevent maniacs like Cho from
committing heinous crimes. A deranged criminal will find a
way to get his hands on a gun. Or a bomb.

The sad truth is that if gun laws had been less strict in
Virginia, there is a possibility that the tragedy at
Virginia Tech could have claimed fewer lives.

In January 2006, a bill was proposed in the Virginia State
Assembly that would have forced Virginia Tech to change its
current policy and allow students and faculty members to
legally carry weapons on campus. Teenage college students
carrying guns makes me nervous, but shouldn’t adults be able
to decide if they want to arm themselves — just in case?
When the bill was defeated, a Virginia Tech spokesman
cheered the action, saying, “This will help parents,
students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”

However, one gun rights advocate lamented the bill’s failure
with chilling accuracy: “You never know when evil will pop
up.”

Back in 2002, evil arrived at Virginia’s Appalachian School
of Law. A disgruntled student opened fire on the school’s
campus, killing three and wounding more. The law school
also prohibited guns on campus, but fortunately two students
happened to have firearms in their cars. When the pair
heard gunshots, they retrieved their weapons and trained
them on the killer, helping restrain him until authorities
arrived.

There’s no way to know whether Seung-Hui Cho’s murderous
rampage could have been stopped in a similar way, but what’s
certain is that strict gun control laws do not always have
the effect that legislators intend. More guns (in the right
hands) can stop crime, and fewer guns (in the wrong hands)
can make for more crime. Gun control isn’t crime control.