OPINION: It's Not About
the 'Easy Availability of Guns'
Claims about 'easy availability of guns'
do not really address the problem of armed teen killers
By Dave Workman. Mar 4, 2025
Article Source
A Pew Research survey published last July revealed, among other things, that 61 percent of Americans believe it is "too easy to legally obtain a gun in this country," which invariably provides an arguing point for anti-gunners, while gun owners will counter this belief is demonstrably false.
Pew went into some detail explaining how this figure was reached.
"Non-gun owners are nearly twice as likely as gun owners to say it is too easy to legally obtain a gun (73% vs. 38%)," the pollster reported. "Gun owners, in turn, are more than twice as likely as nonowners to say the ease of obtaining a gun is about right (48% vs. 20%)."
"There are differences by party and community type on this question, too," Pew added. "While 86% of Democrats say it is too easy to obtain a gun legally, far fewer Republicans (34%) say the same. Most urban (72%) and suburban (63%) residents say it's too easy to legally obtain a gun, but rural residents are more divided: 47% say it is too easy, 41% say it is about right and 11% say it is too hard."
But when it comes to an increasing number of violent crimes which seem to make headlines, the argument for making it more difficult for law-abiding adults to legally obtain a firearm goes out the window. Among the most violent criminals are juveniles, in their mid-teens, who cannot legally purchase a firearm anywhere in the country.
The gun prohibition lobby almost invariably ignores this fact, instead focusing on the "low hanging fruit" as it were, b—ecause they know law-abiding gun owners will remain so by complying with the law, complaining about new restrictions, and responsibly challenging the laws in court.
Meanwhile, teenage thugs—like their adult contemporaries—ignore the gun laws and continue getting their hands on guns outside of the legal channels, via direct theft or trading/buying them from someone else who stole them.
The evidence is all around, but it can only be seen by people who don't wear blinders.
Fox News in Tampa, Fla., is reporting that a 15-year-old boy is facing a first-degree murder charge for gunning down a 14-year-old, over what may amount to boyhood disputes. The suspect was identified as Marquis Lee and his victim was Armando Gilbert. Teenagers cannot legally purchase handguns, in Florida or anywhere else, a fact which leaves arguments for waiting periods and "expanded background checks" out in the cold.
TEEN WANTED ON FELONY WARRANT ACCIDENTALLY SHOOTS SELF
Another 15-year-old boy was arrested by police in Jackson, Miss., in connection with the murder of a 68-yeart-old woman. According to WJTV News, Thelma Wright was shot dead, and the suspect—identified as Devin Nichols—faces charges of murder and aggravated assault.
In Chicago and Saluda County, S.C., two more shooting cases involving 17-year-old suspects underscore the problem of violent teens with guns; a problem which cannot be solved by penalizing honest adults.
CBS News in Chicago reported the arrest of a 17-year-old in connection with the shooting of a 15-year-old, who suffered multiple wounds in the arms and legs. The suspect "was charged with five felony counts, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon with a machine gun or automatic weapon, unlawful use of a weapon for possessing a handgun, and possession of a stolen vehicle," CBS reported.
Incredibly, the suspect was referred to juvenile court.
Down in South Carolina,17-year-old Zachary Jones was reportedly facing charges of murder, desecration of human remains and possession of a weapon, and those are all adult charges. The victim in this tragedy was Tristan D. Grigsby, 20, according to WYFF News.
Out in Portland, Oregon, KPTV News reported that two teenagers were arrested in connection with a homicide and several robberies. Their ages were reported as 16 and 15, and they were locked up at a juvenile detention center. This case involves the murder of Jonathan Trent, 47, outside a Fred Meyer in Portland back in January. The victim apparently was killed over a stolen purse.
Nowhere in any of these reports is there a mention about whether any of these teens lived with both parents, whether they had prior criminal records or whether they were attending school.
Clearly, these crimes have far more to do with things other than firearms, which none of them legally purchased. Yet in the Oregon case, KPTV found one man named Mike Crall, who provided the soundbite the media was evidently looking for.
"Guns are everywhere, there's so many, they're all around," Crall said. "For teenagers to have access to them is completely unacceptable."
That's what existing law already says. Crafting new restrictions in reaction to such crimes is also completely unacceptable, but it makes gun control proponents appear to be taking action, albeit against the wrong people.
More gun restrictions for people who don't commit crimes do not prevent more crimes. When teens as young as 14 can be involved in violent crime, it is not the gun's fault. The gun ban crowd simply cannot admit it.
