What good would new gun laws be when US struggles to enforce existing ones?
Christopher Tremoglie
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Are gun laws too relaxed? Is it too easy to get a gun and use it to commit mass shootings? Do we need more gun laws, or do we need to do a better job of enforcing the ones that already exist? These are just some of the questions people in the country are asking after the recent tragic mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, which left 18 people dead.
A recent Rasmussen poll found that nearly half, 49%, of likely U.S. voters “don’t think stricter gun control laws would help prevent such shootings.” Conversely, the survey also found that 44% of all likely U.S. voters believed that stricter gun laws would help prevent mass shootings such as the one in Maine. It represents a shift of sorts away from the left-wing narrative about how gun control can prevent mass shootings.
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Interestingly, this sentiment was found in answers to other questions from the survey. The poll also found that most voters want better enforcement of the existing laws rather than creating new ones. Rasmussen found that 57% of voters believed that “stricter enforcement of existing gun control laws” would be more beneficial in preventing mass shootings such as the one in Maine. Conversely, only 30% of voters felt that “passing new gun control laws would do more to reduce gun violence in America.” The remaining 13% were unsure either way.
Both results were arguably a shocking revelation for such a plurality, given the rampant propaganda by Democrats and their supporters in the media and entertainment who repeatedly call for gun control. Moreover, if one objectively analyzes the facts of the case, it’s understandable why most support enforcing existing laws. If existing laws were enforced and everyone did their job, the shooter, Robert Card, most likely would have been prevented from carrying out the attack.
Card had been in the military since 2002 and was a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve, according to reports. He had begun to experience health problems in recent years. Multiple sources confirmed that his ex-wife and son reported to local law enforcement that he was experiencing mental health troubles. Then, in July 2023, Card’s mental health concerns were brought up again as he threatened to “shoot up” a military base in Maine, NBC News reported.
After that incident, Card was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and was taken by New York State Police to West Point’s Keller Army Community Hospital. Then he was sent to Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital, where he was treated for two weeks, according to the report.
One would think that this might have been one of the earliest systemic failures. Card’s family reported concerns about him, and then a little while later, he was reported for making homicidal threats but was treated for only two weeks? Admittedly, I am not a mental health professional, but that seems a little light.
After he returned home on Aug. 3, the Army ruled that Card should not “have a weapon, handle ammunition or participate in live-fire activity.” That same day, Card tried to purchase a silencer at a local gun shop but was rejected because of his self-reported mental health problems, the Boston Globe reported. Again, this seems like a huge red flag that resulted in minimal consequences or accountability for Card.
Jody Madeira is an Indiana University law professor with a background in researching gun laws. She emphasized that Card’s case should have resulted in any weapons he had being seized upon his return home from the psychological facility. Many people dropped the ball, Madeira told ABC7 Chicago.
“He slipped through the cracks,” Madeira said. “There were warning signs.”
For decades now, the population has been inundated with left-wing agitprop promoting the simple message that guns are bad and gun laws are good. Politicians, pundits, movies, sports leagues, and other entertainment figures have all advanced such ideas. However, if 57% of voters prefer better enforcement over more laws, perhaps Rasmussen’s poll results are a sign of people coming to their senses regarding gun control.
Mass shootings are undoubtedly tragic, and the loss of innocent lives is horrible. Everyone should want to find a solution to end this crisis once and for all. But Democrats creating new laws when the people in charge cannot enforce existing ones is an indictment of the nation’s inept bureaucracy. The people responsible for doing their jobs must do their jobs. Let’s strive for universal compliance in enforcing existing laws before we add new ones.