"After watching the Democratic presidential candidates debate gun control Tuesday night, one has to wonder if they understand why criminals commit crimes.
“I think that we have to look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day from gun violence,” Hillary Clinton said, adding, “It’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA.”
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley suggested we should pass gun restrictions at the federal level like the restrictions passed in his state in 2013. But is fighting against the National Rifle Association, invoking common sense, or increasing gun restrictions going to stop criminals from hurting people?
Since O’Malley mentioned gun restrictions in Maryland, it’s worth examining the data. Two years after the gun laws were passed, homicides in Baltimore increased by 49 percent, non-fatal shootings by 79 percent, and total shootings rose by 77 percent over the previous year. There is a strong correlation among escalating violence, gang-related lifestyles, and drug distribution in Baltimore. There is an elephant in the room, and that elephant is the Mexican drug cartels. The hard truth is that if the United States enacted greater gun restrictions tomorrow, it likely would not have the desired long-term effect for two reasons: (1) there is a demand for guns and (2) the United States borders Mexico."
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