We all stared at our TV’s on Thursday night taking in the horror before us, completely engulfed in anger at the perpetrator who stole innocent lives. Not one of us watches such a scene unfold without thinking, “What can be done?” However, many immediately attribute guilt by association to those who own guns throughout the United States. As heartbreaking as the situation is, forming policies in a tornado of emotion will only lead to disaster.

Our President praised other countries for taking measures to limit gun violence:

We know that other countries, in response to one mass shooting, have been able to craft laws that almost eliminate mass shootings. Friends of ours, allies of ours. Great Britain. Australia. Countries like ours.

I would point out two things concerning the above statement.

A) It’s scary to think that our President praised a nation that conducted a mass confiscation of firearms from their citizens.

B) Great Britain is not a low-crime utopia. While Our criminal system encompasses a large variation of crimes under broad descriptions, the UK does not. In 2014, sexual offenses recorded by the police rose by 37% in the UK. However, under national statistics the U.S. ranks higher due to how crimes are calculated by country. Since 1967, the UK calculations exclude any cases that do not result in conviction, nor any cases prosecuted under the grounds of self-defense. Perspective: in 2012 we had 14,827 homicides, only 7,133 arrests were made for those homicides; the number of convictions are even less. Rape numbers would be even more drastic due to the number of cases that don’t end in conviction. If we adjust our numbers to reflect their calculation method, women and men (especially women) are much safer in the United States than in the UK. Now, consider the fact that the UK has a population of 64 million, and the U.S. has a population of 316 million (roughly). America, under the systems of Great Britain or Australia, would put citizens – especially women – in horrific danger. Liberals should check their female empowerment agenda, because the real “war on women” is the attack on gun ownership.