For those of you not familiar with it, The Shooting Wire is an excellent, three times weekly email service that will help keep you clued in on the comings and goings in the firearms industry and the shooting sports. However, I think the best part is Jim Shepherd’s editorials. Today’s case in point:
Meanwhile, with the District of Columbia v. Heller decision only three weeks away from the tentative date for oral arguments in the United States Supreme Court, the anti-gun groups continue their frantic lobbying to help put as much pressure as possible on the Supreme Court justices – and contributors. Following last week’s horrific shooting incidents, the “usual suspects” in the anti-gun movement hardly waited for the police to arrive on the scene before screaming the shootings were made possible by “gun show loopholes” in current laws. They never seem to tire of making the same hysterical arguments in the face of events that have proven the pro-gun position that armed citizens are seldom chosen as victim groups. Unfortunately, well meaning dunderheads who want to support a kindler, gentler society continue to pony up the funds that enable fear mongering and firearms to be a profitable business. When it comes to the point that CNN is running special reports asking what could be done to get the criminally insane off the streets and comes up with the answer that the law isn’t doing much, it’s apparent even the liberals are tiring of acts of random violence from people proven to be dangerous to themselves and others. Virginia Tech’s Cho was cited as one of the worst failures of the mental health system, having been declared dangerous by a judge, yet not able to be permanently committed or treated due to regulations that force mental health professionals to release loons back into society. If I were an “advocate” for the mentally unstable and had defended the right of a crazy person to go back on the street and commit another crime – including murder – I’d be taking a hard look at my job choice.
You tell ’em, Jim.