Our mission statement

— To be an advocate for social and economic progress, ethical behavior, efficient use of public resources and an improved quality of life. — To act independently and fairly. — To celebrate the successes of Greater Memphis and surrounding areas.

— To be the forum for ideas and opinions of public interest.

After a massacre like the one at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, our immediate reaction is to do something. Something, for politicians, means legislation. For Democratic politicians, this means gun control.

It’s the all-purpose knee-jerk solution. Within hours of the massacre, President Obama was lamenting the absence of progress on gun control. A particular Democratic (and media) lament was Congress’ failure to pass anything after Sandy Hook.

But the unfortunate fact is that the post-Sandy Hook legislation would have had zero effect on the events in Charleston. Its main provisions had to do with assault weapons; Dylann Roof was using a semiautomatic pistol.

You can pass any gun law you want. The 1994 assault weapons ban was allowed to expire after 10 years because, as a Justice Department study showed, it had no effect. Only one gun law would make a difference: confiscation. Everything else is for show.

In this country, confiscation is impossible. Constitutionally, because of the Second Amendment.