"Gun Control" Means More State-Licensed Gun Violence

by Will Grigg
Feb. 06, 2013

Barack Obama paid a brief visit to Minneapolis today to rally support for his administration’s proposals to restrict private firearms ownership. Significantly, he didn’t address the public; instead, he met with police officials at the Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Center.

The White House praisedMinneapolisas “a city that has taken important steps to reduce gun violence and foster a conversation in the community about what further action is needed.” One of those steps was the overt militarization of law enforcement through the promiscuous use of SWAT teams.

Minneapolistaxpayers were recently forced to underwrite a $1 million settlement with Rickia Russell, a young woman who suffered third- and fourth-degree burns to her legs during a SWAT raid on her home. The raid began with the use of an incendiary device called a flash-bang grenade, which is supposedly used as a distraction. Russell had to undergo a skin graft from her scalp to repair her damaged leg. She is still undergoing therapy.

The raid, which was staged to search for suspected firearms, was carried out at the wrong address.

The Minneapolis approach praised by Obama didn’t reduce gun violence; instead, it expanded the use of gun violence as an instrument of public policy.