Proponents of gun control are misguided in their attempt to renew restrictions on U.S. firearms in the wake of last week's terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, where a gunman killed 50 worshipers in two mosques – so says Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, USA Today reports.
In an opinion piece Tuesday, Gottlieb argues gun control proponents hope American citizens "gripped by emotion, will overlook the obvious and agree that law-abiding gun owners should face additional restrictions on their rights."
He writes stricter gun laws would have no effect with people bent on doing harm, and said citizens needed to be able to protect themselves.
"The real lesson to be learned from the Christchurch massacre is that madmen aren't deterred by gun control laws, or laws against murder. Morality doesn't enter into their thinking, so honest people must be prepared for the unthinkable and be able to respond.
"The gun prohibition lobby hopes to capitalize on a terror attack half a world away in an effort to advance its agenda. Forget, for a moment, that the Second Amendment stands in their way. Focus on the irrational notion that somehow a defenseless victim is morally superior to an armed private citizen who can fight back and save lives," he writes, adding, "Millions of law-abiding American gun owners should not be penalized because of murderers' misdeeds."
Instead, Gottlieb posits out the New Zealand attack "provides ample justification of our right to carry now exercised by millions of citizens who choose not to be victims." He says Americans' Second Amendment rights are "not negotiable."
Gottlieb also notes the New Zealand shooter acquired his firearms legally, as have most mass shooters in the U.S.
"We must not allow hysteria to overcome common sense," Gottlieb concludes. "We must protect our right to defend ourselves, our families, and our communities from those to whom laws mean nothing."
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