Prohibitive Arguments

No Guns LogoEvery time there is a well-publicized shooting certain elements residing within America – mostly, but not entirely, Liberals – starting frothing at the mouth and jabbering about how we “need” to ban or, at a bare minimum, severely restrict gun ownership and availability in America.

It’s predictable to the point of being passé, with the same sorts ranting or whining the same baseless arguments.

Leaving those arguments aside for now on the grounds that they’ve been addressed and refuted time and time again, let us, instead, look to the hypocrisy or stupidity of their arguments themselves.

No Marijuana LogoThere’s a strong overlap between the groups who want to ban firearms and who want to legalize marijuana and other illicit recreational drugs. It’s not a 100% overlap, but the majority of those who are vocal in calling for legalization of drugs are also vocal in calling for tighter gun control.

On this issue they also tend towards using the same argument repeatedly.

The argument, which borders upon mantra amongst them, is that the War on Drugs is not only a wasteful failure but has actually caused the various gang-related crimes associated with the drug culture. They liken it to Prohibition aka the 18th Amendment which arguably led to the rise of organized crime in America in the early parts of the 20th century.

I’m forced to admit that this isn’t a completely baseless argument. While a lot of the problems were and are problems of lax enforcement and weak punishments, there’s no denying that anytime that a high profit margin, easily portable commodity is outlawed a black market for that commodity will develop. There’s also no denying that more organized and violent criminal groups will eventually, unless mercilessly quashed, gain control of that market.

The question roiling through my mind is why do these people believe that it would be any different with firearms?

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