In the wake of the tragic murder-suicide that left Kansas City Chiefs’ linebacker Jovan Belcher and the mother of his child dead, Bob Costas decided to interject his politics into NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
During his halftime segment, Costas said:
"In the coming days, Jovan Belcher's actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? ... If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today."
On Saturday, Belcher repeatedly shot Perkins, his girlfriend and the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, before driving to the team’s practice facility and shooting himself in the head.
The next day is not only the wrong time and place to bring up gun control, but the argument itself is wholly illogical.
As one person on Twitter said: “Yes, Bob Costas, guns are the problem. Nicole Brown Simpson would be alive today if OJ hadn't shot her with that knife.”
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that crazy, murderous people are going to go crazy and murder people, no matter what they have to use as a weapon. Knives, rocks, poison, fire, ropes … I’ve seen CSI; I know there are lots of ways to kill people.
Banning guns will do nothing to stop the killing problem. Not only that, but banning guns has been proven over and over to increase gun-related crimes. In fact, increases in gun sales in a particular area actually decrease the number of gun-related violent crimes.
Imagine that. It’s almost like criminals are more likely to not shoot people that are likely to be armed. This phenomenon is currently on display in Virginia, where the gun crime rate has dropped while firearms sales have reached record highs. Since 2006, the total number of guns purchased in the state has risen by 73 percent, while gun-related offenses have dropped more than 27 percent.
If you’re going to use horrific crimes to advocate for your political positions, at least make sure you get your facts straight. Maybe if Kasandra had been armed, her daughter wouldn't be an orphan today.
Does it surprise you that gun violence goes down when gun sales go up?
Image via Marcin Wichary/Flickr
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Comments 53
I've got an idea. Why don't we just make it illegal to kill people? Then that would stop all the murders!
Floridamom, I agree, because people don't follow the "Thou shall not kill" commandment. (Silly religion!)
You do realize that religion and government are very, very different, don't you, Pinkmani? Or did that escape you notice?
Or, as the economy improves, there is less crime and more disposable income to buy items like firearms.
Really?
This is one of the few points that I'm actually in agreement with you, Jenny. I HATE guns, loathe them, despise them. While I agree with certain gun control policies, that is only because I know that certain people, such as mental cases, should not ever have guns. And though I hate guns, and would go so far as to say that I have an almost pathological fear of them and have in fact, never handled a gun in my life, my husband insists that I MUST learn to use one for my own protection, and I agree with him. I would rather have to explain to police why I have an intruder with gunshot wounds than have them have to tell my husband that his wife and/or child were raped and/or killed.
no one gets stabbed in bob's world?...
Or, as the economy improves, there is less crime and more disposable income to buy items like firearms.
two problems...crime didnt increase during the downturn and people were still buying guns even during said down turn...