One middle school student shot and wounded another student with a handgun Thursday afternoon, January 31, 2013 at Price Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Federal law which prohibits the possession of a handgun or handgun ammunition by persons under the age of 18 did not stop the shooter.
The separate Federal law which prohibits the possession of a loaded firearm within 1000’ of a school did not stop the shooter.
The Georgia State law which prohibits the possession of a handgun by a person under the age of 18 did not stop the shooter.
The Georgia State law which prohibits the possession of a firearm on school property did not stop the shooter.
The Georgia State law which requires a license to carry a handgun did not stop the shooter.
The Georgia State law which prohibits recklessly providing a person under the age of 18 with a handgun did not stop the shooter.
The Georgia State law which makes it illegal to point a handgun at another person did not stop the shooter.
The Georgia State law which makes it illegal to discharge a firearm within 50 yards of a public street did not stop the shooter.
The Atlanta City ordinance which makes it illegal to discharge a firearm inside city limits did not stop the shooter.
What did stop the shooter? An off-duty police officer who was working and present at the school at the time who was in lawful possession of his own firearm.
A new law which takes away the ability of good people to carry a firearm will not make anyone safer. A new law which takes away the ability of good people to carry a firearm can and will accomplish only one thing – it will increase the number of victims who are unable to stop a criminal or defend themselves when the criminal breaks the law and attacks them. A new law which prohibits good people from carrying a firearm at yet another public place will make no one safer. It can and will accomplish only one thing – it will create one more location where a criminal has the increased opportunity to attack helpless victims with little danger of meeting resistance.
More ink applied to more pieces of paper will not stop the criminal. People who have the lawful ability to possess the tools needed for self-defense at more locations can and will stop the criminal.
