Bomb Control

"Bomb Control"
a quick thought by jake kilroy.

Before I see more Facebook posts of "Bombers were blamed, not the bombs, but guns are still blamed - double standard," I want to point out why this isn't a double standard.

The difference here is that bombs can't be purchased ready made at a Big 5 Sporting Goods or a publicly advertised bomb show, and background checks are therefore not an option in the process.

I absolutely, totally agree that perpetrators should be held accountable and responsible for any horrifying action, no matter the weapon, first and foremost.

However, there is an opportunity to potentially (not definitely) curb future gun violence (as guns are often legally sold in these instances), not bomb violence (as bombs are often homemade in these instances). Not everyone with a gun is crazy or reckless. Obviously. But there's a chance to lessen the ease of availability to unstable individuals, and I say take it, as I support gun control, not a gun ban. If bombs were sold next to soccer balls or tactical turtlenecks (h/t Archer), do you truly believe there wouldn't be a national push for "bomb control" with people saying, "But I just like to blow up bombs in the desert" or "It's an honored tradition to blow up animals with bombs?"

The bombers were blamed because there isn't an immediate answer (as there is with guns). Americans absolutely have the right to guns, and there shouldn't be a situation where the government has all the guns and the citizens don't, but we shouldn't act as helpless with gun violence as we do with bomb violence.