J.D. Tuccille on Why New Laws Are an Ineffective Response to Tragedies

When horrific crimes hit the headlines, many
people quickly demand that government “do something.” Blunt
instruments that they are, politicians act in really only one way:
by writing and rewriting laws. “That’ll be the end of that,” they
say, as the ink dries on their latest legislative brainstorm.

In the case of the Isla Vista murders, we’ve seen calls for
tighter gun control (even though California already has more
restrictive laws than most states), mental health screening, and
implications that misogynistic websites should somehow be
reined-in. And something about Seth Rogen movies. Maybe a waiting
period?

But as J.D. Tuccille explains, the truth is that law is a pretty
ineffective way to prevent people from doing what you don’t want
them to do.

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