Liberal New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reacted to the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., this week by calling for more gun control, though he admitted there’s no telling if new laws would have prevented the tragedy.
“What we should focus on is curbing access to guns among people who present the greatest risk,” Kristof wrote of the shooting, which took place Wednesday at a health facility and left 14 people dead and 21 injured. “An imperative first step is universal background checks to acquire a gun.”
Kristof also recommended “cracking down on firearms dealers who are careless or lose track of guns” as a policy that would bring down gun violence.
Then, he admitted, “It’s not clear what policy, if any, could have prevented the killings in San Bernardino.”
The heated gun control debate resurfaces every time there’s a shooting that captures national media, with mostly Democrats calling for more laws to regulate firearms and Republicans resisting them, asserting that criminals will inevitably find a way to carry out their misdeeds.
The guns used by the two suspects in the San Bernardino shooting were purchased legally, according to reports.
Both suspects, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, were killed in a standoff with local law enforcement.
