By Dr. Ray Kessler, who is, incidentally, a retired Prof. of Criminal Justice, former defense attorney and prosecutor is your host. I am also a part-time instructor in Criminal Justice at Richland College, an outstanding, 2-year institution in Dallas, TX.
https://richlandcollege.edu/
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Monday, January 17, 2011
Voice of Reason after the Tucson Tragedy
FSU Prof. Gary Kleck is the nation's foremost authority on gun control, gun crime, etc. Here's his reasoned approach to gun control and the Tucson tragedy.
The element of surprise has been known to victimize the most well armed and vigilant peace officer and civilian. Tucson's murderous shooting sounds to be such a case. The weapon of choice just happened to be a handgun. It could just as easily been another device like the madman's automobile. The tool itself does not commit crime. A mentally unbalanced and determined assailant does. To fix a problem requires addressing the actual cause.
Extending the use of existing databases on the mentally ill and requiring background checks on private gun sales both seem to be closing in on "cause". Lack of a 100% solution does not preclude an effort to reduce the occurrences . . . in spite of the historical success of that fallacious logic. Eliminating schizophrenia is not possible . . . the only viable strategy is containment.
The element of surprise has been known to victimize the most well armed and vigilant peace officer and civilian. Tucson's murderous shooting sounds to be such a case. The weapon of choice just happened to be a handgun. It could just as easily been another device like the madman's automobile. The tool itself does not commit crime. A mentally unbalanced and determined assailant does. To fix a problem requires addressing the actual cause.
ReplyDeleteExtending the use of existing databases on the mentally ill and requiring background checks on private gun sales both seem to be closing in on "cause". Lack of a 100% solution does not preclude an effort to reduce the occurrences . . . in spite of the historical success of that fallacious logic. Eliminating schizophrenia is not possible . . . the only viable strategy is containment.
ReplyDelete