The 13 children who were killed by the coward in Rio yesterday were killed in spite of gun laws aimed to prevent killings. When you speak with anti-gun activists this incident should be highlighted.
The shooter was 23. The legal age to own a firearm in Brazil is 25. The shooter had no carry permit. Carry permits are required and became very hard to get with new laws passed in 2002, requiring lengthy application periods, background checks, and a specific reason to carry related to threats to one's life or a job requiring protection, such as transportation of valuables or security.
This is the poster child example of the saying, "when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will own guns". Many anti-gun nuts won't listen and will insist that we need stiffer gun control here. But for those who are on the fence or just plain uneducated about gun ownership, this should be a poignant example of why gun control doesn't work to end gun violence.
