One Oklahoman’s Opinion on the Sacramento, CA. Shooting and Call for More Gun Control

Earlier this week on Sunday (04-03-22) a shooting took place in Sacramento, CA. that left 6 dead and 12 injured. It occurred in the early morning/overnight hours on Sunday around 2:00-am.

Police are still trying to piece together what happened and identify who was involved. So far 2 arrests have been made and the investigation continues with more suspects and possible arrests to come. It's looking like more people were involved in this and at this time it appears that there was more than just one shooter.

It took less than .0001 seconds for the anti-gun crowd, politicians, and the White House to respond with their usual "let's ban everything" rhetoric. On Sunday, the same day as the shooting itself, President Biden released a statement calling for more gun control and further infringements of our 2nd Amendment rights.

That was quick, a little too quick! In the usual jump first, look later fashion these statements and others were made well before any actual facts were available. There are still a lot of questions about the shooting and how it's being addressed. Was it a mass shooting or gang violence? It's starting to look like the latter.

Prior to the shooting, a big fight broke out in the streets and sidewalks. Did this cause the shooting, is it related to what happened and those who were involved? They're still looking into it but it's looking like the fight and shooting are tied together. 2 groups fought and eventually started shooting at each other.

We'll get the answers eventually as police continue their investigation. In the meantime, there's a rush to push for more gun control. The media, at least most of them, are in my opinion incorrectly labeling this as a mass shooting. Yes 6 people are dead and 12 are injured which I suppose qualifies, but with multi[ple shooters and the interaction between those involved it wasn't some random act of gun violence.

I could be wrong, I don't have all the facts either but it's certainly looking more like gang violence vs. a mass shooting or some random act of gun violence. But that didn't stop the anti-gunners and President Biden from coming out with all the usual talking points and gun control agenda. Click here to review the statement from the White House. They mentioned the need to ban ghost guns, expand background checks, ban assault rifles, and high capacity magazines and do away with the firearm industry's immunity to liability. 

All the above is non-related to what happened and wouldn't have stopped it either. The worst part is they know this. First, was a "ghost gun" used? No, one of the guns used was a stolen firearm that was traceable. Second, could expanded background checks have prevented this? No, the 2 people who have been arrested so far already had felon convictions are were prohibited from owning/possessing firearms. They stole them and avoided the background check altogether. How crazy is that? Criminals that act like criminals.

So what about banning assault rifles and high-capacity magazines? Were these used in the shooting? Some media outlets have reported that an illegal machine gun was used by one of the suspects. The prime word is "illegal" and remember both of the people arrested were prohibited from owning/possessing firearms to start with. Seems like the criminals involved aren't too law-abiding and are ignoring not only the law but any and all gun control measures that have been put in place. It's like they have no respect for the law and are criminals.

Let's talk about the whole firearm industry's immunity to liability non-issue that keeps being mentioned by anti-gunners, it's an absolute lie! What they're talking about is the PLCAA (Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act). It doesn't shield the firearms industry from liability, it protects them from being liable for third-party criminal actions. In other words, you can't hold a gun manufacturer responsible for the illegal acts of others. Anti-gunners want to sue the firearms industry when one of their guns is used criminally.

If you think we should be able to sue the gun manufacturers for the acts of others then that would mean we should be able to sue Budweiser for drunk drivers, Mcdonald's for obesity, Chevy and Ford for any and all accidents involving one of their vehicles. After all, it's the exact same thing as wanting to sue Smith & Wesson because some low life used one of their guns to commit a crime or shooting. They didn't sell them the gun, they weren't involved in any of the criminal acts, but they should be held responsible? That's insane!

If anti-gunners and politicians actually cared about lives and safety we'd be hearing about mandatory sentences for crime and gun violence. We'd be hearing about funding the police vs. defunding them. We'd be hearing about criminals being punished and the law-abiding being left the hell alone. We need to start prosecuting criminals and stop persecuting citizens. Our freedoms do not hinge on the criminal acts of others. More laws and gun control aren't the answer. So what is? it's found in the immortal words of Col. Jeff Cooper: “If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim.”