Nearly a week after three Oklahoma teenagers allegedly murdered Australian baseball player Chris Lane, President Barack Obama appears to have broken his silence. He, or more properly those who write his Twitter feed on his behalf, tweeted the following.
Retweet if you agree: It's time for Congress to make gun violence prevention a priority. #WhatWillItTake
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 21, 2013
Predictably, the president is blaming the weapon for the choices made by those who chose to wield it.
The facts of the case do not support any gun control measure short of full confiscation of all firearms in the United States. All three of the accused are underage, so firearm ownership is illegal for them in most circumstances. They cannot legally purchase a firearm without assistance from someone over the age of 18. The shotgun that was recovered from the car that the boys used had its serial numbers filed off, which is a felony. Current gun laws against possession of guns by minors, and against filing off serial numbers, did not stop the boys from doing either one, just as laws against gang activity did not stop the boys from self-identifying with the Crips gang. Laws against murder did not stop them from murdering.
The president had the chance to deplore rap and gang culture which appear to have heavily influenced the boys. That would have been a unifying gesture that might have saved untold numbers of lives. Instead, he chose to blame guns, which will accomplish nothing.
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