Common-Sense Gun Control Needed?

After the recent shooting in Sacramento, we’ve been inundated with leftists and their usual cry for “common sense gun control.” Although it is my belief that the left lacks common sense, let’s take a closer look at the shooting in Sacramento to see if we can find some common-sense solutions.

Smiley Martin, 27, was taken into custody for his part in the shooting. Charges against him include: possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, no doubt because he’s a convicted felon. Thus far we’ve learned that despite it being illegal for him to possess a gun, he had one anyway. A second charge against him was for possession of a machine gun. Possession of a machine gun in almost all cases is illegal, especially for a convicted felon. In Smiley’s case, what additional “common-sense” gun control laws would have prevented him from having several weapons and shooting and killing a bunch of people? Perhaps he didn’t know murder was illegal? Maybe we should make machine guns extra double secret illegal to prevent people like Smiley from having one?

The other suspect arrested, thus far, is Smiley’s brother Dandrae Martin. Included in Dandrae’s charges are the following: assault with a firearm. Assault is illegal, unless you’re Will Smith, but I digress. Assault with a firearm is illegal. The second charge is illegal firearm possession, again no doubt because he was a convicted felon.

To those wanting more gun control laws I ask, what additional “common-sense gun control laws” would have prevented these two people from doing what they did? That answer is no amount of additional laws would have prevented them from killing a bunch of people. In addition to murder and attempted murder, they broke all kinds of laws that we already have relating to gun possession.

Never let it be said that I haven’t offered any solutions to the problem, though. My commonsense solution would be to lock up habitual felons like Smiley and Dandrae either for life or at least until they’re old enough to no longer be a threat to society. Get rid of bail reform and get rid of softon-crime district attorneys, and increase sentences. Smiley Martin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for domestic assault with great bodily harm in 2018.

He was released after three years in 2021. Common sense would have society demand violent felons like Smiley Martin serve, if not their full term, at least a majority of it rather than target law-abiding citizens with more dopey gun laws that criminals won’t follow anyway. People would be alive today were it not for Smiley’s early release! How’s that for common sense?

Brian Richards Stevenson Ranch