Katie Pavlich - The Truth About Guns in Virginia

Reality.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2015/08/27/the-truth-about-guns-in-virginia-n2044508?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm&newsletterad=

A few things to start. First, McAuliffe's implication that Virginia doesn't have background checks is absolutely false. In fact, not only does the Commonwealth require background checks for guns sales but requires two forms of identification and lengthy paperwork before a purchase. Further, we still have no idea how the killer obtained the gun used in the crime, so all of the statements (which are really policy positions) above were made with zero relation or knowledge of the situation. 

Second, McAuliffe, Clinton, the White House and Everytown have no interest in taking away guns from certain people, but instead want them taken away from all people. 

Finally, it's important to point out that although every crime carried out with a firearm is a tragedy, there isn't a "gun violence epidemic" as the anti-gun activists claim. In recent years, gun sales in Virginia have exponentially increased while crime, including crimes carried out with firearms, have significantly decreased. 

Gun-related violent crime continues to drop in Virginia as the sales of firearms continue to soar, a pattern that one local criminologist finds interesting “given the current rhetoric about strengthening gun laws.”

Major gun crime collectively dropped for a fourth consecutive year statewide, while firearms sales climbed to a new record in 2012 with 490,119 guns purchased in 444,844 transactions — a 16 percent rise over 2011, according to federally licensed gun dealer sales estimates obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The proliferation of guns occurred as the total number of major reported crimes committed with all types of firearms in Virginia dropped 5 percent, from 4,618 offenses in 2011 to 4,378 last year, according to Virginia State Police data.

Looking back over seven years, total firearm sales in Virginia have risen a staggering 101 percent from 2006 to 2012, while gun-related crime has dropped 28 percent during that period.

“This appears to be additional evidence that more guns don’t necessarily lead to more crime,” said Thomas R. Baker, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs who specializes in research methods and criminology theory.

Gun control activists have no choice but to exploit tragedy surrounded by emotion. After all, in a sober setting their arguments about why more gun control is needed or details about how new measures will prevent violence, never add up. 

Regardless, shameless efforts to promote gun control in the wake of tragedy should be strongly condemned and refuted.