First, before we get started, allow me to address the inevitable, predictable complaint this article is sure to generate. Specifically, that this article is despicable because it is using a tragedy to advance a political point of view. My response to this is rather lengthy and nuanced. I don’t care.
With that lengthy and nuanced discussion out of the way, I think that President Trump’s tweet on the London Bridge terrorist attack deserves some scrutiny:
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Jun 4
Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That’s because they used knives and a truck!
To be clear, what President Trump was referring to was the London Bridge terrorist attack where three terrorists used a van and knives to murder seven people and injure scores more. Two unarmed British police officers attempted to tackle the terrorists and were both severely injured in the attack. A British Firearms Unit was called in and eight British police officers armed with guns fired a total of fifty (50) shots to kill the three terrorists and end the threat.
There were many that thought this particular tweet was odd. Not quite as odd as “covfefe”, but odd none-the-less. Here’s how I took it. Every time there is some sort of attack that involves guns there is the standard, typical, predictable outcry over gun violence and an effort to ban guns or otherwise infringe upon the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Why then shouldn’t we point out when guns actually save lives, as in the case of the London Bridge terrorist attack? Without guns, there would have likely been many more deaths and injuries resulting from the terrorist attacks. Who knows, guns could have saved the entire population of Britain.
Herein lies the fallacy and hypocrisy of gun control advocates. Where is the outcry to ban knives and vans? There is none. And there is no acknowledgement from these groups that, in point of fact, guns saved the lives of countless British citizens. To an objective observer, this is the height of hypocrisy and is a disservice to honest debate on the topic. Gun control advocates should at least admit that guns can save lives as well as take them.
The Objective Observer 