It’s the Gun Free Zone’s Fault, Or Not

I know Delaware Online.com comment sections are cesspools of idiocy and ignorance, but this current top comment wins the day on this article about the threats of violence to local colleges and universities:

[this is] “Why firearm NO CARRY zones are becoming the MOST DANGEROUS public spaces.”

I Googled laboriously for what seemed like 5 whole minutes and found these “solutions” or “excuses” in relation to the most recent 134 mass shooting events (as defined by the FBI) in the last 7 years in the United States:

The real problem is Mental health not gun control!!! “Of 134 examined incidents, in only one was there evidence the shooter was prohibited by federal law from possessing guns due to severe mental illness. In 15 other incidents (11 percent), there was evidence that concerns about the mental health of the shooter had been brought to the attention of a medical practitioner, school official, or legal authority prior to the shooting.”

ARM THE TEACHERS! “Five of the 134 shooting incidents (4%) took place in schools, including primary, secondary, and college campuses. “

How ’bout them gun free zones!!! “All told, no more than 17 of the shootings (13%) took place entirely in public spaces that were so-called “gun-free zones.”

Until “those people” stand up and change their culture this will just continue!!! “There was a noteworthy connection between mass shooting incidents and domestic or family violence. In at least 78 of the cases (58%), the shooter killed a current or former spouse or intimate partner or other family member, and in at least 21 incidents the shooter had a prior domestic violence charge.”

Who are “those people”? People with families or in romantic relationships?

“Under federal law, domestic abuse only prohibits firearm ownership when the perpetrator has been married to the victim, has a child with them, or cohabits with them. In 25 percent of mass shootings in which the perpetrator killed a former or current partner (14 of 57), there was no evidence the pair had ever married or had a child together.” (http://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/MassShooting-080715-9.pdf)

Assuming abolishing gun free zones would have absolutely stopped the mass shootings that occurred in them, you would still have 87% or 117 of the shootings occur. Arming teachers + Increasing mental healthcare only gets you down to 72% or 96 mass shootings, which is still 96 too many. But factoring in domestic abuse? That would bring it to an 86% reduction and instead of 134, there could have been 19. Still 19 too many, but it seems like the most dangerous areas to be in are romantic relationships and/or bedrooms and not gun-free zones. But let us not permit facts and data to interfere with the tunnel-visioned gun loving miscreants that have nothing better to do than aimlessly prattle on about giving everyone a gun so gun violence will stop and that we had better do it now because Nobama is coming for our guns!

I have a personal rule that I don’t like to write about something that only contains data from one source. But in this case the argument is Gun Free Zones are a joke, as the commenter suggested, and even one data point to the contrary is enough to pull the rug out from under that perspective.

I rate that top comment as: Posted by an idiot.

By the way, Delaware at least seems to be acknowledging the data that shows domestic abuse and gun violence are correlated:

http://decagv.org/governor-markell-signs-commonsense-gun-law/