Darren Weeks
Coalition to Govern America
April 29, 2014
According to media reports, 7 people have been injured by an active shooter at a FedEx facility in Kennesaw, GA. One of the injured was not actually shot, but was hurt trying to get away. The gunman, identified by his father as Geddy Kramer, is said to have been denied a vacation day the previous Friday. A package handler employee of the facility, Kramer was seen at the time of the shooting with a rifle, unused explosives, and had bullets strapped across his chest “like Rambo”, witness Liza Aiken said. She states she saw the shooter drop a knife shortly before he began shooting and that he was dressed all in black with a camouflage vest. Kramer is claimed to have been found dead near the loading docks with a rifle, and a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound.
There are a couple of interesting ironies about this story.
First, the shooting comes only a week after Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a pro-gun bill, acknowledging the Second Amendment rights of residents of his state to carry. The new law was called “the most comprehensive pro-gun reform legislation introduced in recent history” by the NRA, according to The Washington Times, which goes on to say,
“The law, which takes effect July 1, permits licensed gun owners to carry firearms into bars and some government buildings with no security at the entrance. Churches, mosques and synagogues may decide whether to allow armed guests, and school districts may permit employees to carry firearms.”
However, Federal Express bans its employees from possessing firearms on its premises. The policy has been the subject of much controversy in recent years, as employees have fought for the right to have their firearms for protection in their cars in parking lots.
The most glaring thing about Kennesaw, the town in which the shooting took place, is the reputation that it has developed for being one of the most gun-friendly places in the country. In 1982, the city passed an ordinance mandating that “every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore”. The law was unsuccessfully challenged in court by the ACLU, and three decades later, the people of Kennesaw are still benefiting from its implementation. Anna Fifield of The Financial Times profiled some of the residents back in 2010, and examined some of the impacts of the ordinance on those living there.
“... almost 30 years after the law was passed, it is still in place and still popular, not least because Kennesaw’s crime rate has remained disproportionately low, even as the town’s population swelled from 5,000 in 1982 to almost 35,000 now. According to the latest FBI statistics, Kennesaw recorded 31 violent crimes – mainly robberies and aggravated assaults – during 2008. In other similar-sized local towns the figures were much higher – 127 in Dalton and 188 in Hinesville. For property crimes – largely burglaries and thefts – Kennesaw recorded 555 while Dalton had 1,124 and Hinesville 1,802.”
Whenever a mass shooting event takes place, the government and its lapdog media immediately like to shamelessly pounce upon the event, exploiting the victims by using the massacre as an excuse to push for more gun control. However, as the crime statistics have repeatedly shown, whenever people are disarmed, crime and violent crime precipitously explodes as criminals are emboldened by the knowledge that their prey are defenseless.
Unfortunately for those who were victimized in the today's rampage, the city ordinance didn't extend to businesses. Firearms were banned on the grounds of the FedEx facility, leaving all management and employees totally defenseless and vulnerable to the attacker. Gun Control was in effect at the plant, but it didn't help the 6 individuals who are in the hospital now, and some of whom are currently fighting for their lives.
Once again, we see a dazzling example of the effectiveness of Gun Control laws. Restricting firearms ownership and access is always an effective and efficient tool — to make victims out of innocent people.
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