Jesse Jackson’s Misguided Gun Protests

The Reverend Jesse Jackson has been protesting against gun rights for a long time. As far as I can tell, these protests are merely pointless publicity stunts:

1. Jesse Jackson’s gun protests target innocent gun manufacturers
Jackson recently held a protest in front of D.S. Arms, the Lake Barrington manufacture of high quality (and expensive) guns, that doesn’t sell to the general public. Not one gun made by D.S. Arms has been traced to a crime in Chicago, yet this won’t stop Jesse Jackson from blaming D.S. Arms for the actions of Chicago’s criminals. Even the Lake Country sheriff criticized Jackson over this fact, and the more than $5,000 the protest cost the Lake County tax payers.

2. Jesse Jackson’s gun protests ignore the true causes of crime
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Guns do not kill people. Instead, the intentional actions of criminals is what kills. Criminals will use many tools to kill, since virtually every object can be used as a deadly weapon. Now consider that fact that a person bent on committing murder or another serious felony won’t even think twice about a gun possession charge, and you can see why the “gun free zone” laws don’t stop school shootings, and instead only leave the law abiding citizens disarmed. Instead of protesting against inanimate objects like guns, perhaps Jesse Jackson should focus on the true causes of crime? These causes would include poverty, mental illness, poor upbringing/family life, lack of education, for example.

3. Jesse Jackson’s gun protests are merely publicity stunts
Protesting in front of a law abiding firearms manufacture accomplishes nothing. D.S. Arms is not going to close its doors and go out of business just because a few misguided individuals choose to camp out front and blame them for the actions of Chicago’s gangs. Nor will the criminals who commit the violent crimes in Chicago suddenly decide to give up their violent lifestyle just because Jesse Jackson disapproves. However, by protesting, Jackson and his Rainbow-PUSH coalition get their names in the newspapers and on TV, which I suspect is the true goal.

It is truly sad when people in leadership positions abuse their influence like this. I wonder how much good that all this money and manpower could have accomplished, if it had been directed toward goals such as better education, parental involvement in schools, anti-gang education, or scholarships for impoverished children who wish to seek higher education.