Orlando Shooting demonstrates yet agains government puts Politcs over Public

What happened in the Pulse nightclub was the act of a coward. Unfortunately politics have gotten in the way of facts, and now there are members of the United States government that are pushing for  a re-institution of the  the "assault weapons" ban, saying that the best to prevent people on "terror watch list" and other "suspected terrorist" from buying firearms or explosives. 

I will be covering why this is a sad excuse for politics as usual. 

1. Terrorist do not need guns to carry out an attack
2. The Orlando Shooter (whose name will not be written here) cleared multiple background checks, proving that background checks do not stop terrorism or mass shootings.

Here at The Brief, we like to focus on facts and keep emotions as far as in check as possible. What the fact is what transpired was an act of terrorism. One interesting problem the Department of Homeland Security is that there is not one "true" definition of what an act of terrorism is. For the sake of argument let us look at two examples:

Title 22 of the U.S. Code, Section 265f(d) defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usally intended to influence an audience."

This in contrast to the Federal Bureau of Investigation which states "terrorism as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

So we can see why there is such confusion when it comes to labeling an event an "act of terror". Both of these definitions do share the common there of using violence to intimate of enforce, which is what happened in Orlando.

Now in regards to the method that was perpetrated, social media has been flooded with "experts" who are lecturing their fellow countrymen about how guns need to be removed from the populous. I am sorry but that is not true. If someone has evil in their heart and has the intent to carry out a vicious act, they will and I will cite these five examples over 20 years:

Oklahoma City Bombing:

• On the morning of April 19th, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a rented moving truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. At 9:02 am the bomb located inside the truck exploded killing 168 and several hundreds more being injured.

 September 11th, 2001:

• On that fateful morning, groups of attackers boarded four domestic aircraft at three East Coast airports, and soon after takeoff they disabled the crews, and proceeded to fly these planes into the two WTC towers and the Pentagon. 3,000 people died that day. 

 July 7th, 2005:

• Three suicide bombings occurred within 50 seconds of each other on three different trains traveling through London Underground stations A fourth suicide bomb exploded within an hour on a double-decker bus. Total loss of life: 52. 

 Boston Marathon Bombing:

•  On April 15, 2013, double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing three and injuring 264. 

 Jerusalem bus bombing:

• A bomb was placed on the number 12 bus in Jerusalem on April 21st, 2016. When the bomb exploded, 21 people lost their lives.

These examples show, whether a home grown violent extremist (HVE) or a foreigner with a student visa, if someone wants to perpetrate an act terror, they do not need guns to do so. 3,244 people died as a result of a terrorist attack without a shot being fired. This is why gun control will do nothing to prevent an act of terrorism. 

My second point cuts right to the heart of this push for gun control and why it will not help to reduce terrorism or mass shootings. In order to do this we need to look at the profile of the Orlando shooter:

• He was employed by the security company GS4 the world's largest global security firm, which employs more than 610,000 people in 110 countries. On the GS4 website, under qualification for the ideal canidate, you will find the following: 
• Must submit to an extensive background check, including criminal history, personal references, employment and education verification, and Department of Motor Vehicle and credit checks if applicable
• Upon acceptance of a job offer, must be able to pass the following:
• MMPI - Psychological testing, if armed or otherwise required

•  The shooter had a class G statewide firearms license is required for a Security Officers to work armed. 

To recap, this person was given 2 different background checks, was authorized to guard government buildings with firearms, and yet background checks are suppose to thwart terrorist activities? It doesn't. This latest push will not make you or I any safer. 

Now I am not advocating you go out and buy a firearm unless:

1. You feel your safety is truly threated
2. You will dedicate your time and energy to become proficient with it, buying it alone does not guarantee your safety.    

Ladies and Gentleman, it does seem to be a more dangerous time than in the past. Truth is, the only time we as a country did not have to worry about an attack from some entity was between the fall of the Soviet Union and September 11th, 2001. Government will do the best it can, but in the end the burden of responsibility to keep you and your family safe is on you. \

 * UPDATE: Rumors are circulating that the Shooter stole the identity of a Florida man and used his id to pass his background checks, I will not give full confirmation until I properly verify this information.


Good Luck and Good Hunting