Those opposed to gun rights like to suggest that mass killings are a result of American gun rights. A recent news report from China, where guns are strictly controlled, shows that mass killings can be committed using objects other than guns – and that disarming the law abiding members of society simply leaves them vulnerable to mentally disturbed killers:
BEIJING – A former medical worker allegedly stabbed to death eight young children and wounded five others Tuesday in a bloody rampage outside an elementary school in eastern China. The attacker struck in the morning as students arrived for classes, mingling with parents at the school gates before suddenly pulling out his knife and slashing children, according to witnesses interviewed on local television. . . China has witnessed a series of school attacks in recent years, most blamed on people with personal grudges or suffering from mental illness, leading to calls for improved security. The rampage in Nanping was finally stopped by passers-by and school security guards and the attacker was arrested, the reports said. The suspect was identified as Zheng Minsheng, 41. Zheng worked as a senior nurse in a community clinic before resigning last June, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Huang Zhongping, spokesman for the Nanping city public security bureau. Zheng was known to have a history of mental illness, said a man surnamed Wu in the Nanping city government office, who would not give his full name as is common among Chinese officials. An unidentified former co-worker interviewed on Fujian television said Zheng was “difficult to get along with.” Eight children were killed, and five were being treated at a hospital, Wu said. Six died at the scene, which was smeared with blood from the sidewalk to the floor of an inner reception room
Here we have yet another case from outside the United States, where a deranged person decided to harm as many innocent people as possible. The sad fact is that some people will go on killing sprees. Whether they use a gun, a knife, a car, or some other tool, chances are they will succeed at harming innocent people – unless there is an armed citizen nearby to quickly put a stop to their rampage.
Turning back to this tragedy in China: Had there been an armed parent or teacher at the school, it seems unlikely that the killer would have been able to stab 13 children before being stopped. Instead, the bystanders were unarmed, and the killer was only stopped after he had taken 8 young lives.
Remember, those bent on committing mass murder are, by definition, mentally unstable. Whether they intend upon killing themselves at the end of their murder spree, or are simply so disconnected from reality that they can’t appreciate the criminality of their actions, such individuals are not deterred by gun bans. Instead, “gun free zones” merely ensure that those bent on mass murder will be surrounded by defenseless victims.
My thanks to Anders for pointing out this news story. More on the folly of “gun free zones” can be seen here.