DAILY NEWS EXCLUSIVE
Miniature altar with human skull replica in backyard tent at Jared Lee Loughner's home.
via www.nydailynews.com
Where do these nutcases come from and how do we stop them? Where do we draw the line? Although there were distinct and particular "warning signs" that Jared Lee was antisocial in behavior, did he do anything illegal prior to this cdrime? I don't know the answer to this.
If Lee was a felon, then he should not have been allowed to buy a gun legally.The mandantory background check would have disclosed this if his gun was obtained from a gun shop. He still could have bought it from an individual who most likely would have no means of doing a background check.
Lee could have gotten the gun from his parents, borrowed it from a friend, stolen it, or bought it on the black market. Dispite intentionally skewed stats from some agencies of the Federal Government, other agencies of the government, and unbiased private agencies--indicate that most of the illicit guns that come into Arizona, arrive via the drug cartels.
While the ATF (BATFE), FBI, and DHS--under the Obama Administration do quote a true statistic, it is misleading. They indicate that of the guns retrieved from illegal activity in Mexico are largely from the US, they fail to make known that by far and away the large majority of guns retrieved from Mexico are considered "untraceable", which means that it has had the serial number removed, or that the serial number is unable to be traced to any origin other than the country of manufacture--which is ost often one of the countries, which was part of the former USSR and their allies.
During the cold war theri was a great proliferation of arms, which were literally given to allies of both the USSR and their allies and the USA and their allies. Many of these governments failed and fell into the hands of new governments and were further shared and dispersed into the black market economy controled largely by the drug cartels. So their are literally millions of guns that come through the black market of Central and South America.
Additionally, importation to South and Central America of firearms continues unabated from North Korea, China, Iran, the Phillipines, Canada, The UK, Russia, Albania, Germany, the Ukraine, various countries in Africa, Romania, and other countries--through quasi-legitimate channels--often to governments, which are then compromised and sold on the black market.
Argentina, and Brazil, in particular have major industries of making firearms--some of the best in fact. So to quote misleading numbes that make it seem as though most firearms enter Mexico from the US is propoganda used by the anti-gun lobby, which is largely a coalition of Democrats from Nrth-Eastern States--which does not enjoy the Second Ammendment as much as do other parts of the country.
The truth is that more illicit guns used in gang violence comes from Central America and South America THROUGH Mexico! The sale of contraband such as illegal guns, and drugs, along with human trafficking for the sex trade--has long gone hand-in- hand with the organized crime that makes drug cartels and gangs so financially strong.
All of this said, it still must be realized that it takes bad apples to use guns for violence such as the tragic Tucson Safeway Event. It is not a popular thought--but it is a fact that with individual freedoms come the potential for misuse of those freedoms. If we shut down the freedoms of individuals who may be prone to vilence, we shut down everyone's freedoms. And the restriction of firearms is historically the beginning of shutting down ALL individual freedoms.
As just one example of what happens when guns are restricted, I will cite Israel's govenmental controls over hte ownership of firearms in Palestine and the West Banks (for good reason it would seem, as these firearms are used against them). Although there is a proliferation through back-channels from Iran and Lebanon--for those lacking access to firearms, the "weapons of choice" are bombs.
Massively anti-personnel (people killing and maiming) bombs are easily made from a metal container, nails, and any number of easily-obtainables accellerants. These can be delivered by homicide-bombers or easily detonated remotely by telephone or even easy-to-get and inexpensive components used in various electronic divices.
These bombs are far more devestating to far more people, than are firearms. The point is, I suppose, that if a nut is hell-bent on killing people--it ain't no thing to accomplish. Cars can be used, poisons in water or food supplies, or misdirected electrical sources (I am intentionally not detailing some of these methods)--just to name a few methods that are routinely used in gun-free zones.
Assasinations directed one-on-one are much easier to do. Lee shot Congressman
Giffords from "point blank" range. He could just as easily have stabbed her with a screwdriver, altered cane or umbrella, cut her lethally with a common box-cutter, slammed her in the head with a bicycle-chain or steering wheele long bar or used any number of other common items. For that matter, a usable pcoket "zip" gun can be fashioned in a few minutes.
If someone is intent on lilling anther human, it is very hard to prevent. With all the security President Regan and Gerald Ford had, they still had near-successful attempts upon their lives. I often worry that President Obama may meet a similar demise. As much as I disagree with a lot of his politics-I certainly do not wish death or harm upon him. The Pope has al lot of security protecting him. Yet twice in succeding years, he was attacked and knocked down at the same place--BY THE SAME PERSON!
Our best hope for less violence is engendering a climate of civility by all toward all. We muct reinstill the values of peace and forgiveness. We must voluntarily stop being ugly to anyone and everyone,because things don'tgo our way. Christians, who turly practive Chritian principles are not violent individuals.
There are similar teachings in many other religions such as Budhism, and non-extreme Islam. This is the crux of what makes civilized peoples civilized. Although there are extremists who pervert anything good. Some people feel that "religion is superstition". I submit that it is not--and further--it generally promotes increased humanity and greater civility. It is godlessness that leads to violence and disrespect.