Clay Travis Challenges Rich Eisen, Others In Sports Media On Gun Control After Chiefs Parade Shooting
OutKick's Clay Travis responded to several sports media personalities over the issue of gun control in the United States on Wednesday.
Gun control and the Second Amendment became an unfortunate topic of discussion again after the horrific mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade. The shooting resulted in numerous injuries and the tragic death of a Kansas City DJ.
READ: Fatal Shooting Victim At Chiefs' Super Bowl Parade Identified As KC DJ
The response from Rich Eisen and a number of other figures in the sports world was, predictably, to call for new gun restrictions. Eisen for example, posted "Nine children. Nine children who went to a parade to celebrate their Super Bowl team. Nine children now being treated for gunshot wounds @ChildrensMercy. When are we going to collectively realize there's a gun problem in our country and do something sensible for our kids?"
Travis replied, "What's your suggestion, Rich? Do away with the Second Amendment? Honest question. Dozens of laws were violated by the shooters. I'd suggest putting violent criminals behind bars & keeping them there. I'd wager a lot of money that the shooters in Kansas City had long rap sheets."
That's of course the obvious response to emotional appeals to simply "do something." Unfortunately, Eisen wasn't the only one to over simplify.
Kansas City police are seen at Union Station, where a shooting broke out during the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory rally on Wednesday, Feb. 14 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Glenn E. Rice/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Chiefs Parade Shooting Highlights Other Societal Problems
Mina Kimes joined in, saying that "our inaction on gun control fails [our kids] every day."
Robert Griffin III also said we should "pass laws" to stop mass shootings like Wednesday's. Travis responded by asking "what specific gun laws" need to be passed in order to stop them from happening, a question that always goes unanswered.
That's the unfortunate reality of shootings and gun violence. It's already illegal. Those involved don't actually seem to care about violating laws. And the overwhelming majority of the time the shooting is not their first crime.
How do you stop people from violating laws if they're motivated enough to commit murder or serious injury? For decades, activists have advocated for the decriminalization of drugs, saying that people will do them anyway, so it's better to make them legal and controlled. Making guns illegal won't stop people from buying them or using them, just like it didn't stop drug addicts from buying or using.
Wednesday's parade was yet another in a horrifically long list of senseless crimes committed by criminals. But people like Eisen and Kimes and Griffin always avoid placing blame on the criminals responsible. They have no specific laws or changes to offer that would stop gun violence. Left-wing gun control paradises like California and Chicago and Washington D.C. haven't stopped gun violence. The best solution, as Clay Travis suggests, is to actually lock violent criminals up. The opposite of what the left seems interested in doing.