Response to school shootings should target the guilty, not the innocent

As expected, the media outrage in the wake of the Florida school shooting has been directed at a particular rifle and the law-abiding gun owners instead of the killer who pulled the trigger or the bungling bureaucrats who failed to stop him.

An almost demonic persona has been attached to the firearm used and the buzzword “assault weapon” assigned in an attempt to begin disarming the citizenry of an entire class of firearms including sporting and target rifles and semi-automatic handguns that fit the vague definition.

The so called “Charleston loophole” is a myth. The killer was able to purchase a gun simply because the government bureaucrats failed to conduct the background check in the time allotted. Remember, politicians sold the public on the background checks as being quick and efficient.

The underlying story of this latest tragedy is slowly making its way to the light. The policies of appeasement that prevent disruptive students from being kicked out of school contributed to the overall disorder.

Every school should have its own school resource officer. Don’t expect those on the left to support that though; they want guns outlawed.

The State publishes a cross section of the letters we receive from South Carolinians in order to provide a forum for our community and also to allow our community to get a good look at itself, for good or bad. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not necessarily of The State.

This story was originally published March 6, 2018 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Response to school shootings should target the guilty, not the innocent."