REBUTTAL: Get Rid of Semi-Auto Guns by Shelton Beach

(The following is a rebuttal of a rebuttal of my article "What is Common Sense Gun Control?" posted in the Post Register in March of 2018. I encourage you to read my article before reading this rebuttal. Rebuttal begins after the image of Shelton Beach's article)

I felt excited to read an article about some real gun law suggestions, but sadly upon reading Shelton Beach's article I was unimpressed and even surprised at the lack of actionable material in his article.

Let's start with the beginning where Beach states his two-fold plan for gun laws. His first part calls for the banning of semi-automatic weapons on the grounds that "No one in America needs a semi-automatic weapon of war." At this point in the article I had to stop and shake my head a little? Weapon of War? I'm not sure, but it seems as if Beach is not aware that our military uses fully automatic weapons (i.e. when a soldier pulls the trigger the bullets just keep firing). Fully automatic weapons are banned in the U.S. (yes there are some you can get if you purchase an obscenely expensive permit, but we're going to assume that the average american cannot afford this) so I'm not really sure where Beach is getting his information on semi-automatic weapons (a gun in which one trigger pull equals one bullet firing) is like a banned machine gun.

The second part of his two-fold plan is that we must "close the loophole that allows the purchase of weapons at gun shows without background checks". This is false. If you want to purchase a gun at a gun show, the vendor must perform a background check in order to sell you the gun. The loop hole is not a gun show loophole, but rather a loophole in which if my Father dies, he can will his shotgun to me without forcing me to undergo a background check. The gun show loophole also applies to shady back alley deals where guns and money are exchanged from the back of a shady van. The gun show loophole is just a handy scapegoat for gun control advocates to rally behind. For more information on gun shows and mass shootings, check out this article at the national review:

In the next portion of his article Beach chose to defend the cowardly actions of the Broward County Sheriff's County Deputy, who remained outside the building. Claiming that the officer knew a truth that we did not "All else being equal, the bad guy with the AR-15 kills the good guy with the handgun... every time." REALLY? We are going to excuse the actions of a coward who stood by and let students under his care DIE because he didn't want to take the risk? Here's footage of the officer standing outside the building during the shooting:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/15/broward-sheriffs-office-releases-video-recording-of-deputy-during-parkland-school-massacre/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.77c52c30dc1f

Watch that and tell me that those are the actions of a man who's conflicted about entering the building or a coward scared to face the shooter. Then let's talk about how he told his backup not to enter the building either. Then let's talk about the officers not letting the EMT's into the building as was protocol. And while we're at it, let's talk about the heroic efforts of the JROTC students who died saving fellow students. These students were unarmed and CHOSE to save others instead of themselves. Who held open doors and herded their fellow students outside to safety. Who ran into the halls and pulled students inside their classroom, shielding them with Kevlar Mats and then themselves in order to save them. And while we're at it, let's talk about the waffle house shooter who was taken down by an unarmed man. After you've read about those stories, then tell me that this man was not a coward. He was a trained law enforcement officer who failed to live up to his training and his oath.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/27366/us-army-awards-medals-heroism-three-parkland-jrotc-emily-zanotti

https://www.dailywire.com/news/29740/four-dead-waffle-house-shooting-suspect-still-frank-camp

Now that I'm fired up let's talk about Beach's next point which is that even if the FBI had taken the shooter's guns, nothing would have stopped him from simply walking into the next store and buying new ones. I'm going to resist the urge to insult Beach, but seriously. In order to take away the shooter's guns, the FBI would have to have a court order which would have gone on the shooter's record, which would have prevented him from purchasing more guns until he appealed the order in court. So yes, Mr. Beach, the FBI dang well could have prevented this shooting.

Beach next goes after the idea that placing armed guards in schools would not prevent shootings. "Assuming that these measures "hardened" our schools to the point that no school shooting ever occurred again, what next? Ambushing of school buses? Attacks at Friday night football games?... Hardening our schools will not stop Fort Hood, or San Bernadino, or Orlando style shootings? It seems pointless to simply change the shooter's target."

This is the point in Beach's article that I just can't grasp. His point seems to be that because we cannot prevent all shootings we shouldn't better protect our students. I really don't understand where he was trying to go with that idea, but here's an article on why the entire country of Israel hasn't had a school shooting in 40 years:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/why-school-shootings-are-so-rare-in-israel-where-guns-are-such-a-common-sight/2018/02/22/1fce546a-17e3-11e8-930c-45838ad0d77a_story.html?utm_term=.7cfce1407093

Finally we get to my favorite part of the article. The part where Beach runs out of ammunition and tries to insult my intelligence. If you have to insult someone's intelligence during an argument, it's a pretty good sign that you have no real ammunition. Nevertheless, let me address Beach's insults.

First of all (and my favorite part) Beach says "Nelson was writing an interesting and intelligent column until she started writing about her husband's AR-15. There are many weapons more effective as varmint guns than the AR-15." He then goes on to talk briefly about one gun, a bolt action rifle. True, a longer barrel is always nicer when shooting distances, but at the distance that I'm shooting a coyote (from my barn roof as they approach my chicken coop or livestock pen) the AR-15 is easier to carry and handle. I'd love to talk about the other guns, but he doesn't actually list any other. Nor does he list a specific caliber that's better than the .223 my AR-15 takes. Also, I have to wonder at his credibility as an expert on AR-15's since AR-15 stands for ArmaLite Rifle. In other words it's the brand name of the rifle, not the caliber.

Next he chooses to make fun of my desire to use an AR-15 for self-defense. "And for those numerous occasions when self-defense is required, whether the attacker be a bear, a mountain lion, a deadly coyote, or a bad hombre, a nice six-shot .44 magnum revolver will do the job nicely." He goes on to attest to his .357 magnum saving his life multiple times from "savage" coyote attacks.

Obviously Beach meant to belittle my desire to protect my family and paint me as a paranoid "gun freak". Let me assure you all and Mr. Beach that I am not paranoid. When my husband and I go camping, we don't drive to a pretty campground where people and restrooms abound. We drive to a federal reserve and drive deep into the mountains and make camp where there are no people or restrooms and where chances of encountering wild animals are much higher. Also, have you ever seen a rabid coyote? They're scary and vicious. Have you ever been riding horseback and realized you were being stalked by a mountain lion and the only thing you have to protect yourself was a six shot .22 pistol? My husband has. Have you ever been camping and heard a bear tear into the truck parked in the campsite next to you and the only thing you have to defend yourself, your wife and your 5 children is an axe? My Father has. So I'm sorry if I seem paranoid to you Mr. Beach, but I like to call it preparedness.

At long last, I'd like to end with Beach's desire for me to carry around a .44 magnum in self-defense rather than my dangerous weapon of war. I'm sure Beach is aware that a .44 magnum does a lot of damage when fired, but just in case he's not here's some images of bullet holes from various guns: