The Terror of Gun Control

THE TERROR JOF GUN CONTROL The thriving metropolis of Boston was turned into a ghost town last Friday. Nearly a million Bostonians were asked to stay in their homes – and willingly complied. Schools were closed; business shuttered; trains, subways and roads were empty; usually busy streets eerily resembled a post-apocalyptic movie set; even baseball games and cultural eve in response to a 19-year-old fugitive, who was on foot and clearly identified by the news media. While Boston officials appeared to be acting out of an abundance of caution - and it's appropriate for residents to be asked to take precautions or keep their eyes open - by letting one fugitive terrorist shut down a major American city, Boston not only bowed to outsize and irrational fears, but sent a dangerous message to every would-be terrorist. If you want to wreak havoc in the United States, intimidate its population and disrupt public order, here's your instruction booklet. were cancelled - ll LOCKDOWNS IN AMERICA WASHINGTON, DC 2002 SNIPERS LA SHOOTINGS FEBRUARY 2013 MPRIL 2013 LOCKDOWN ULIVE LINE VLIDE LINE DD APRIL 15, 2013 DAY OF BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS BOSTIONI. 11 AMERICANS KILLED BY GUNS If only Americans reacted the same way to the actual threats that exist in their country. Last year 17 Americans died in terrorist attack; more than 30,000 died by the hands of guns. In fact, the same day of the marathon bombing in Boston, 11 Americans were murdered by guns - a small percentage of the more than 3,500 Americans who have died in gun violence since the Newtown massacre. Yet, the same week as the Boston manhunt, the Senate blocked consideration of a gun control bill that would have strengthened background checks for potential buyers. Even though this reform is supported by more than 90% of Americans, and even though 56 out of 100 senators voted in favour of it, the Republican minority prevented even a vote from being held on the bill because it would have allegedly violated the second amendment rights of "law-abiding Americans". APRIL 19, 2013 DAY OF BOSTON MARATHON SUSPECT MANHUNT 1 MANHUNT Source:http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2012/12/gun_death_tally_ev ery_american_gundeath_since_newtown_sandy_hook_shooting.html IN THE PAST FOUR MONTHS 3,531 AMERICANS HAVE BEEN KILLED BY GUNS WHICH IS MORE THAN WERE KILLED ON 9/11 WHICH IS JUST ONE LESS THAN THE NUMBER OF U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED IN COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ. THE DAILY CARNAGE THAT GUNS PRODUCE HAS CONTINUED UNABATED AND OFTEN UNNOTICED. So for those of you keeping score at home - locking down an American city: a proper reaction to the threat from one terrorist. A background check to prevent criminals or those with mental illness from purchasing guns: a dastardly attack on civil liberties. Designed by Abigail Grimshaw The Century Foundation © 2013. AMERICANS DIED FROM GUN VIOLENCE