Time To Ban Knives - Why Not

A deranged 20 year old college student went on a stabbing spree at his university in Texas.  Apparently,  he was able to stab 14 students before other students tackled him and turned him over to security.  This knife wielding kid apparently had regularly been seen carrying a stuffed animal on campus for quite some time, which should have been a warning sign that something was wrong.  So now it should be obvious that we must ban knives on college campuses because they can be used as a weapon to kill.  Of course, that would be ridiculous; but don't be surprised if someone does not suggest it.

The point is that if someone with a mental disorder wants to commit mass murder, they can do it many ways in addition to guns and even more lethally by other means.  New gun control laws, in addition to the 9,000 that are already on the books that are rarely enforced, will not prevent these heinous crimes, most often committed by insane individuals.  The focus on this problem is all wrong.

These murders are not about the guns used to commit them; but rather the murderers with mental issues that should be identified as a result of their behaviors and either treated, or in a worst case scenario put in facilities to keep them from harming themselves, or others.  This is a mental health issue, not a gun issue. 

Further, murders committed by gang bangers in cities like Chicago, that already has the strictest gun laws in the country, happen as a result of illegal guns and drug wars.  Stricter gun laws that inconvenience law abiding citizens and violate the Second Amendment will do nothing to stop these murders either.   That is a law enforcement issue that has nothing to do with additional gun control laws.

The horrible tragedies we have seen at our schools can be prevented; but only if we address the real problem.  Schools should be harder to enter and they need additional security on campus.  In addition, we have to deal with people with mental disorders.  Inconveniencing the 99.9999% of law abiding gun owners with more government intrusion into their lives is not the answer.