Once again a mass knife attack in China has reminded us that even in a completely anti-gun country people will still find ways to commit violence.
At least 27 people were killed in riots in China’s far-western Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, State media reported on Wednesday.
“Knife-wielding” mobs had attacked a police station, a local government office and a construction site in the township of Lukqun, located in the Turpan prefecture which lies southeast of the provincial capital Urumqi and is a popular tourist destination for its famed grapes.
The State-run Xinhua news agency said attackers had stabbed people and set fire to cars.
While 17 people were killed in the violence, a further 10 people were shot dead by police who opened fire on the mob, Xinhua reported.
Among the 17 killed were nine policemen and security guards. Local authorities said they had detained three people at the scene, while three others were being treated at a hospital.
Wednesday’s is only the latest of a series of violent incidents in Xinjiang in recent years.
Only in April, 21 people were killed in the southern Kashgar prefecture, which has witnessed intermittent violence in the cities of Kashgar and Hotan. Officials said in that incident too, a group armed with knives had killed 10 police officers and five community workers.
So are guns really the problem? Or is it people that are bent on violence? By going after the guns it makes us all less safe. Look at what happened in China. The only way these knife-wielding attackers were stopped was when the police shot them… with guns.
At this point it’s unclear as to how many innocent bystanders died at the hands of these attackers, but as the death toll rises it’s a sad reminder that there are bad people in this world, and demonizing our best use of defense is no way to keep us safe.
In this case, the only thing that stopped the bad guys with knives, were good guys with guns.
So if we were to use the same logic as the anti-gunners, we would have to ban knives now. Every knife in the kitchen would be illegal and would have to either be destroyed or turned in to the local authorities. Any axe, machete, saw, or anything with a sharp point or edge is a potential weapon for mass murder and is therefore “evil”. The only rational behind NOT banning knives would be to say that it’s the PEOPLE that should be punished and they are at fault.
When the gun control crowd finally starts using this kind of common sense logic (fat chance I know), then maybe we will actually be able to start making progress towards the real problems of gang violence and mental health issues. Until then, keep fighting for your 2nd amendment rights. Carry on.