Gun Control Fails Again in Annapolis, Maryland Newspaper Attack

A murderer attacked a newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland. The murderer had stalked one of the newspaper staff. That staff member had to move several times and had to change her name. She slept with a gun next to the bed. She told the police the stalker was a nutcase and “he will be your next mass shooter.” He was, and five people died.

She saw something and said something. The police didn’t stop the murderer. Maryland has very strict gun licensing and ownership regulations. Those laws didn’t stop the murderer either, but those laws may have disarmed the victims.

Within minutes, the press doubled down on failure and said the solution was more gun regulations.

• Semi-automatic rifles are restricted in Maryland, but that didn’t stop the murderer from using a shotgun on unarmed victims.
• The mandatory handgun purchase licence didn’t stop the murderer, but it may have kept the victims disarmed.
• Mandatory handgun registration didn’t stop the murderer either, but it may have disarmed more law abiding citizens.
• Some business owners are allowed to carry to and from work, and at work. It is unlikely that these victims could have obtained permission from their employer to carry concealed on the job. They were disarmed at their place of business despite the known risk of a stalker. For the record, the murderer didn’t bother to ask if guns were allowed on the premises. Murderers are not stopped by plastic signs or gun regulations.
• The requirement that ordinary citizen demonstrate a “good and substantial reason” to obtain a concealed carry permit means that most Maryland applications for wear/carry permits are denied. If only the victims could prove six months in advance that they would be attacked at work. Then they could have applied for a permit..and also not gone to the office that day. Few permits are issued in Maryland and fewer are issued to ordinary citizens living in Annapolis.
• Maryland has firearms magazine capacity restrictions in their laws. That could have put the defenders at a larger disadvantage as they fought someone who was armed with a shotgun. We will never know since the defenders were disarmed.
• Maryland does not recognize the permits issued by other states to ordinary citizens.

Gun control proponents said gun laws would protect us and violence like this wouldn’t happen. They were wrong. Disarming the victims didn’t make them safer. It puts all of us at greater risk.

Here is a pro-tip for the media. Turning the murderer into a celebrity will invite more media-murders. Don’t do it.