Kashuv Sounds Off On Gun-Control Argument: Common Sense Gun Control Lacks Common Sense
As several of his classmates lead a movement to convince lawmakers to support gun control measures in the wake of February’s mass shooting, one Parkland High School student has made it his mission to speak out in support of gun rights.
In a recent editorial published by the Daily Wire, Kyle Kashuv shared his response to a New York Times column on the subject.
Nicholas Kristof’s list of “10 Modest Steps to Cut Gun Violence” resonated among many supporters of “common sense gun control,” including many of Kashuv’s peers. Representing the other side of the debate, Kashuv’s response sought to address each of the Times columnist’s points.
"No matter what they say, they will NOT take our guns away!" – at #NRAAM2018 @NRA @ChrisCoxNRA @charliekirk11 pic.twitter.com/lfN6GoLhzk
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) May 6, 2018
“As someone who has spent nearly every moment since the shooting reading gun control materials and engaging in the debate with other students, members of Congress, and even the President, I realized that this article was not only lacking in common sense, but would be entirely unproductive,” he wrote.
In the point-by-point rebuttal that followed, Kashuv took exception to each of Kristof’s points, including a call for universal background checks.
Kashuv claimed the passage of such a requirement “won’t make any difference in firearm crimes because most guns used in crimes are not obtained legally.”
He also questioned the accuracy of polling that shows an overwhelming majority of Americans support such expanded background checks for firearms purchases, calling the statistics used in Kristof’s aricle “uncompelling.”
The student activist criticized a number of proposals endorsed in the recent Times editorial and by numerous other proponents of gun control. He dismissed calls for “red flag” provisions that would allow authorities to remove guns from the possession of individuals deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
Kashuv argued these laws “are poorly implemented,” suggesting instead that such individuals “need to be confined to a mental health facility.”
Among the other points he attempted to discredit was Kristof’s suggestion that gun owners should be legally required to lock the trigger on their weapons when they are being stored.
He not only wrote that “your friendly neighborhood home invader” will not wait as a firearm lock is disabled, Kashuv cited statistics of his own in an effort to suggest that such laws actually translate to increased violent crime.
Kashuv similarly dismissed proposals including gun buyback programs and legally imposed limits on individual gun purchases.
“Americans have a fundamental right to defend their liberty,” he wrote. “Gun violence is far too common in America, though.”
He expressed gratitude to Kristof “for coming to the table offering solutions,” but continued to insist that those proposals do not actually employ the “common sense” their supporters frequently claim.
“We can do better without sacrificing our freedom to bear arms,” Kashuv wrote.
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