Anti-Gunners Call For Gun Control Laws Following Poway Synagogue Shooting But This Is What They're Getting Wrong

Posted: Apr 27, 2019 7:10 PM

Source: AP Photo/Denis Poroy

Every time some sort of mass shooting occurs, anti-gunners rush to call for stricter gun control laws. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are still investigating the shooting that took place earlier today at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue, just outside of San Diego. We don't even know all of the facts yet, but from what we do know, gun control laws anti-gunners want to push are either already on the books or would have made no difference. 

Here are some of the gun control calls (so far):

This is what we know, as of now:

The gunman is 19-years-old and he used an AR-15 style platform. We have no idea how many rounds he used, how many rounds his rifle held or how he obtained the firearm.

Former California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) last year signed a bill that raised the age to purchase a long gun from 18 to 21. The gunman is 19, meaning he obtained the firearm illegally. Remember: the situation is fluid and we still don't know if he stole the gun, bought it off the black market or if it was a straw purchase. 

The bill Ocasio-Cortez references, HR 8, would establish "universal background checks," meaning every firearm transaction would require a background check. Private party transfers (PPTs), which typically takes place between family and friends, would also require that background check. The gunman would not be allowed to legally have this long gun because he is under 21, even if he obtained it through a PPT. The only exception California makes for 18 to 20-year-olds to own firearms is if he or she is in the Armed Forces or a member of law enforcement. 

Others continue to say an AR-15 is an "assault rifle," which is not the case. AR stands for "Armalite Rifle," the company that originally made the firearm. An "assault rifle" is a firearm that is fully automatic, meaning it can fire every round in the magazine with a single trigger pull. An AR-15 is a semi-automatic, meaning one round fires for every pull of the trigger. 

Definitions matter here.

Fully automatic firearms are illegal. Semi-autos are not. 

California has some of the most stringent gun control laws on the books and this attack still happened, just like the attack in San Bernardino took place. What does that tell you about things? Those with hate in their heart and the desire to commit a heinous crime don't care if something is illegal.