Memphis – -(AmmoLand.com)- The situation with violent crime in Memphis, Tennessee, is horrific and completely unacceptable. It is also something Second Amendment supporters need to mention constantly.
You’ve probably heard of the appalling kidnapping/murder of a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher who was just out for her morning run. How about the live-streaming shooter? The latter, by the way, as a convicted felon (even with the plea-bargain that reduced an attempted murder charge to aggravated assault), was prohibited under 18 USC 922 from even touching a gun.
Yet, he still got his hands on one. Memphis’s mayor is rightly angry about the release, but we, as Second Amendment supporters, should not hesitate to point out that the bad guys are getting guns. When someone has a conviction for attempted murder, even if they’ve served their sentence, they need to be prohibited from owning any sort of firearm.
Of course, we won’t see anti-Second Amendment extremists raising much outrage over the Memphis live-streaming shooter. There would be too many inconvenient questions they’d have to answer. Here’s a list of some of those:
- Do you think plea-bargaining attempted murder to aggravated assault was a good idea?
- Why did this person get out after serving less than a third of his sentence?
- Given the multiple failures of the criminal justice system, do you really think passing new gun laws is the answer?
Honest answers to those questions would make anti-Second Amendment extremists look bad. Trying to spin it into making guns and the National Rifle Association the real problem would look like a blatant yet pathetic attempt to gaslight people. At this point, no wonder they’re doing a disappearing act.
However, while simply slamming the failures in Memphis (and other cities in the same boat) can be enough for gains in the short term, Second Amendment supporters can and should do more in this case. They need to actually solve the problems and break the pattern that leads to too many of these shootings. It is far better to not have a desperate fight to protect our rights at all because we’ve headed off the problem than it is to win a desperate fight in the aftermath of a mass shooting.
It’s not much different form when discussing the events at the Greenwood Mall. Eli Dicken was a hero – that is not in dispute. But the armed citizen needs to be seen as a last resort – and we need to show through words and our efforts on the legislative front and elsewhere that we mean it as a last resort.
Second Amendment supporters will need to work hard to defeat anti-Second Amendment extremists via the ballot box at the federal, state, and local levels later this year. But the long-term fight is going to involve focusing attention on the real reasons for the violent crimes and mass shootings we get scapegoated for.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
“Memphis’s mayor is rightly angry about the release, but we, as Second Amendment supporters, should not hesitate to point out that the bad guys are getting guns. When someone has a conviction for attempted murder, even if they’ve served their sentence, they need to be prohibited from owning any sort of firearm.” Nope. If the person has served their sentence then they are a free citizen and deserve all of the rights held by such. If we cannot ‘trust’ them with certain rights then they should not have been released. You are (we have) created a ‘second class’ citizen and… Read more »
Harold – why do you go casting aspersion on innocent gun owners. HTF do you expect us to do something to stop the insane from being insane? WTF do I have to do with Memphis, much less nutjobs like this guy? Sure we drove through Memphis once a few decades ago, but haven’t been that way since and do my best to stay away from large cities at all times.
Too many Ammoland readers never miss opportunity to bash Mr. Hutchinson for whatever reasons. For heavens sake, HE’S ON OUR SIDE! Disquiet in the ranks do not help us. This guy is a very astute observer on the issue of gun rights. Show him a modicum of respect.
His bio says he’s written for the Daily Caller and, ahem, National Review. That right there shows he bears watching. I wouldn’t want that in my bona fides.
I would like to see Mr. Hutchinson utilize his position as the NRA Apologist to do more heavy lifting for the White Hats trying to reform the NRA from the inside.
Are you sure ? I’m NOT !
If he was on “our side” he wouldn’t be advocating for gun control.
Hopefully the next murderer that is let out of prison early lives NEXT DOOR TO YOU!
Yes gun laws work well because criminals follow them to the letter . Clueless people think criminals will follow new laws on the books because they followed the old laws so well . There is a reason they are criminals , because old laws and new laws mean nothing to them . But keep up the false narratives that criminals will abide by new laws LMFAO
Went to Memphis many years ago. It was so scary then I didn’t put the top down on my convertible.
Well, they used to mention Chicago often. I don’t recall seeing an improvement.
“Given the multiple failures of the criminal justice system, do you really think passing new gun laws is the answer?
Given that government is always a failure, gun laws are not the answer. The answer is an armed citizenry. It is our duty to fill in the gaps left by failure of the government.
HLB
Funny how he sees that new gun laws are not the answer but can’t seem to grasp that old ones are just as useless at preventing crime. In fact, the only thing they ARE good at is creating victimless “crimes” that government thugs can use to harass, extort, assault, kidnap, and even murder people like us.
I use to go to Memphis a lot. I worked for a company that was headquartered there. I also use to over there to listen to live music. Memphis is only two hours away. But not anymore. 25 years ago my boss would tell us how bad it had gotten. He blamed the corrupt democrat mayor. It has only gotten worse. FJB
The armed citizen needs to be an as a last resort?
No. The armed citizen is absolutely essential. An armed society is a polite society.
As usual, your opinions are terrible, Harold.
Please go away.
You asked one question that made any sense to me out of the whole article. And that was how the hell did the criminal get out of jail so quick ? You may have asked who was on the parole board ? How did they determine he was reformed enough to be left back out into society ? Maybe, when they release these prisoners. The prisoner should stay with one of the parole board member’s for a week ? And then send the prisoner to another parole board members home for another week. You know pass the criminal around for… Read more »
Back in the mid ‘70’s when I was going to college in Louisiana, I used to go through Memphis on my way to my parents home in southern Indiana during school breaks. Memphis back then had places you better not stop after dark. A serious 13% problem. Obviously it’s not gotten any better in 40 years.
you forgot the 2 black men saying they were going to be shooting a bunch of random white people
I lived in Memphis 30+ years ago and nothing has changed. The crime then was just as bad as it is today, but since this is an election year we get to hear about it.
Agreed, something needs to be done about inner city crime and cultural rot. What are your suggestions? Do you have a plan that can turn Memphis or Gary into Boise?
“When someone has a conviction for attempted murder, even if they’ve served their sentence, they need to be prohibited from owning any sort of firearm.”
Here’s Harold advocating for the Gun Control Act of 1968. Tell us all how that has prevented anyone from owning anything or prevented a felon from committing another crime using a firearm. Then maybe you can tell us how that fits into “shall not be infringed”.
Yes, prohibition is a tacked on life sentence that the judge and jury did not contemplate. And is not part of the American tradition of paying one’s debt to society, or part of out jurisprudential history until 1968
Such individual is already barred from possession under federal law. This case is a great example of how well that works.