When Guns are Outlawed Only Outlaws Will Have Knives

At this very moment the news wires are carrying two stories.

Someone – now dead presumably – entered an elementary school in Newtown, CT and murdered nearly 30 persons including 18 children. A semi-automatic gun was used to do the deed, so it is being reported at this moment.

"A man wielding a knife attacked students Friday at a school in central China, leaving 22 children and one adult injured, according to state-run media reports. The attack occurred at the gate of an elementary school in the village of Chengping, in Henan Province. Police arrested the attacker, who they identified as local resident Min Yingjun, 36. Children as young as six were among those hospitalized after the attack, suffering injuries including slashes to the ears and head."

My cousin is the Secretary of the National Rifle Association. I have never shot a gun. Someone is certain to remark in the hours and days after the Connecticut tragedy that a madman will some how find a weapon and wreak havoc, whether with a gun, a knife, or a club.

Gene V Glass
University of Colorado Boulder
Arizona State University