The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I've never been one to believe that more guns results in less gun-related crime. It's just never made any logical sense to me. Is there a link between an increase in fast-food consumption and a decrease in obesity? An increase in unprotected sex and a decrease in sexually-transmitted diseases? It's about cause and effect. What are guns designed to do? Shoot. What are the possible effects of shooting a firearm? Injuring and/or killing an animal or person. The more guns that are purchased and shot, the greater the gun-related crime will likely be. The greater the fast-food consumption, the greater the obesity rate will likely be. The greater the frequency of unprotected sex, the greater the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases will likely be. That's what logic, consistency, and common sense have told me through the years. However, many on the right-side of the political spectrum have been attempting to persuade people that the direct opposite is true - with an increase...

Are you in favor of stricter gun control laws? Have you ever engaged in a debate on the subject with a far-right gun enthusiast? At some point in the conversation, have they brought up Chicago as evidence that gun control laws don't work? If so, you're not alone! Is Chicago known to have fairly strict gun laws? Yes. Is it known to have a high homicide rate? Yes again. However, there's more to the story than that. The fact is that gun-related crimes have been high in Chicago since before the stricter gun laws were enacted and such crimes have actually decreased since they were put into effect. Even with the stricter gun control laws, there are approximately six times as many guns that are owned in Chicago than in New York City. Also, while the gun laws may be stricter in Chicago than most other areas in this country, such laws are much more lax in other portions of the state and adjacent states. So, just because there is a high homicide rate in Chicago and there are fairly...

In a very tragic report, one Joseph V. Loughrey accidentally shot and killed his 7-year old son Craig Allen Loughrey at a gun store over the weekend when his 9 mm handgun discharged as he was getting into his truck. In light of this, I have to wonder what the NRA's response would be to this tragedy. Just the previous weekend when former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Javon Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before doing the same to himself, the NRA spoke out saying if Belcher's girlfriend had a gun, she wouldn't have died that day. They went on to basically say, as they so often do it seems, that if everyone had a gun, we'd all be safer. What about with regard to this most recent tragedy at a gun store in western Pennsylvania? Should the 7-year old boy have been armed? If he had a gun, would he still be alive today as well? But that's different, right? Because it was an accident, unlike the previous weekend's tragedy in Kansas City. Accident or not, a 7-yea...