Ross  Douthat 's Latest Gun Control Proposals Miss The Mark
Ross Douthat
In his most recent column for The New York Times  conservative writer  Ross   Douthat  tackled the mass shooting at a school in Parkland  Florida  which left 17 innocent people dead. While  Douthat  is typically measured and even-handed in considering what is driving men of a certain age and demographic profile to purchase deadly weapons and direct their fire at innocent people  his recommended solution to the problem — age-based bans on certain weapons — completely misses the mark.
Specifically   Douthat  recommends that “hunting rifles ” which  he  does not define  be legal to own once an individual reaches 18 years of age. Revolvers  under Douthat’s suggested gun control regime  would be legal at age 21. Semi-automatic pistols would be legal when an individual turned 25  and semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 could not be sold to anyone under 30:
Those data alone  which show that mass shootings are far more likely to be committed by those outside of  Douthat ’s proposed limits  demonstrate the folly of his gun control recommendations. But it’s not just the actual age of shooters which calls into question  Douthat ’s age-based bans; weapon usage statistics also contradict  his  calls for new strict regulations on rifles.
It's a Times list  and not school-specific  but about half of these feature semi-auto rifles. Again  just seems like there's a big gap btw what ppl use for ordinary murder (mostly handguns) and these kind of deliberate sprees.https://t.co/phyGdzCHGY — Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) February 17  2018
Forget the 25/30 provocation for now; do you think it would be a disastrous infringement on liberty if the age for semi-autos in FL had been 21 and not 18? — Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) February 17  2018
While I respect and share  Douthat ’s desire to find a solution to the problem of mass shootings  I simply disagree with not only  his  recommendations  but also their premise. The data clearly show that  his  proposals would do little to address  his  stated problem. The bigger issue  however  is one of principle. A nation cannot be made safer from criminals by restricting the God-given rights of those who respect and follow the law. My Second Amendment right to defend myself is every bit as important and vital as Douthat’s First Amendment right to publish his political opinions as he pleases without interference from the government.
In his most recent column for The New York Times  conservative writer  Ross   Douthat  tackled the mass shooting at a school in Parkland  Florida  which left 17 innocent people dead. While  Douthat  is typically measured and even-handed in considering what is driving men of a certain age and demographic profile to purchase deadly weapons and direct their fire at innocent people  his recommended solution to the problem — age-based bans on certain weapons — completely misses the mark.
Specifically   Douthat  recommends that “hunting rifles ” which  he  does not define  be legal to own once an individual reaches 18 years of age. Revolvers  under Douthat’s suggested gun control regime  would be legal at age 21. Semi-automatic pistols would be legal when an individual turned 25  and semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 could not be sold to anyone under 30:
Those data alone  which show that mass shootings are far more likely to be committed by those outside of  Douthat ’s proposed limits  demonstrate the folly of his gun control recommendations. But it’s not just the actual age of shooters which calls into question  Douthat ’s age-based bans; weapon usage statistics also contradict  his  calls for new strict regulations on rifles.
It's a Times list  and not school-specific  but about half of these feature semi-auto rifles. Again  just seems like there's a big gap btw what ppl use for ordinary murder (mostly handguns) and these kind of deliberate sprees.https://t.co/phyGdzCHGY — [TGT] (@DouthatNYT) February 17  2018
Forget the 25/30 provocation for now; do you think it would be a disastrous infringement on liberty if the age for semi-autos in FL had been 21 and not 18? — [TGT] (@DouthatNYT) February 17  2018
While I respect and share  Douthat ’s desire to find a solution to the problem of mass shootings  I simply disagree with not only  his  recommendations  but also their premise. The data clearly show that  his  proposals would do little to address  his  stated problem. The bigger issue  however  is one of principle. A nation cannot be made safer from criminals by restricting the God-given rights of those who respect and follow the law. My Second Amendment right to defend myself is every bit as important and vital as Douthat’s First Amendment right to publish his political opinions as he pleases without interference from the government.