Ex British PM Tony Blair’s daughter held at gunpoint – CNN.com.

Depending on your perspective, the fact Tony Blair’s daughter was held at gunpoint demonstrates several things. First; it demonstrates that crime and violence know no race, creed, religion, or economic status. Two; given the first, they can occur anywhere, anytime, to anyone. And third; that gun control, even in the United Kingdom represents is an abject failure of public policy.

I meet people from the UK on a fairly regular basis in the US as they often go to gun ranges as a sort of tourist attraction. There aren’t many gun ranges in the UK and the few that exist, are generally only for the rich and well connected. Even then, it’s almost exclusively rifles and shotguns that must be used, maintained, and stored securely AT THE CLUB. Legal possession of firearms in the home in the UK is EXTREMELY rare. The police don’t even carry guns except for specialized units who are only authorized to access or use those guns under very specific conditions. Even then, those units do not regularly carry said guns.  Given all of this, one would think there is zero gun crime in the UK. And yet, we have the headline above…Tony Blair’s daughter, held at gunpoint.

Rewind to yesterday, I watched a recording of CNN’s new iteration of “Crossfire” in which they had yet another debate about gun control. This one sparked by the traged at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday. The talking points were predictable, especially the lies/delusional musings of the anti-gunners.  But notably, they had Colin Goddard, Virginia Tech survivor and advocate for the Brady Campaign as well as Mayors Against Illegal Guns facing off against Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America

Newt Gingrich led off the discussion by asking Goddard what law would have prevented the Navy Yard shooting. Goddard immediately deflected and failed to answer the question saying we shouldn’t base our policies on the last mass shooting because, “…those people are already dead.” “We have to do things to prevent the next group of people from getting shot and killed.” What’s important is, “…what measures will stop the most number of dangerous people from easily obtaining firearms in the first place,” he said.

In other words, he didn’t have an answer because the reality is, as even LZ Granderson of CNN pointed out, gun control is not the answer. When Chicago was brought up as an example of a city that until very recently, had a near total ban on all modern long arms and handguns and in which nearly all such guns are illegally purchased, Goddard laid his cards on the table saying, “…all illegal guns began their life as a legal gun…”  He contends that requiring background checks for all sales would cut off the flow of illegal guns.  And that brings us back to the UK.  Surely, an outright ban has cut off the flow of illegal guns…right?

Nope, If Chicago and Washington DC weren’t good enough examples, then few things demonstrate the failures of gun control better than the rise of violent crimes in general, especially those involving firearms, in Great Britain.  Civilian gun ownership, especially in the home, has been all but completely outlawed. As mentioned before, with limited exception, not even the police have or carry guns.  And yet even Tony Blair’s progeny cannot escape the fact that if you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns.

-Gary