A Sniper Shoots Down Objections to Gun Regulation

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A Sniper Shoots Down Objections to Gun Regulation
by James Hall, Senior Associate Editor

October 16, 2002

"Leaning Left"

James Hall I woke up Friday morning and found that the sniper (variously called the Tarot Card Killer by Newsweek, the Beltway Sniper by CNN) had been to Fredericksburg, Virginia, again, and had killed from long distance. No one saw him, though a law enforcement officer had made a traffic stop 50 yards away, and sniper's victim, like all the other victims he's shot, never knew what hit him. Police quickly put up roadblocks on I-95 and Route 1, hoping to snag the sniper on his way home. But he eluded their efforts, and it now appears clear that there's a new model for serial murder that requires new efforts to regulate guns.

The Beltway Sniper isn't a new phenomenon. In 1966, Charles Whitman, the University of Texas Tower Sniper killed fourteen and injured dozens in 90 minutes. But Whitman also left a suicide note and died in the Tower, and his case followed a murder/suicide pattern that we see every so often. The Beltway sniper seems to follow the serial killer pattern, with victims chosen carefully for their vulnerability, perched in park benches, riding lawnmowers, or standing next to their cars. The sniper then vanishes away to kill another day.

It's clear that this represents new tactics for murder and terrorism, though they were perhaps predictable given the increasing popularity of civilian sniper training for gun hobbyists. So while the Beltway sniper may turn out to have been trained by the military or police, he may also turn out to be trained by one of the numerous gun clubs that teach sniping as a skill. As such, does anyone now believe that the Beltway sniper will be the last sniper to terrorize two states?

The NRA and its supporters have a mantra for all crime --- arm yourselves. When the killer began his spree, they criticized Maryland and D.C. for their strict gun laws that prevented people from protecting themselves. But the last three killings --- including one this Monday on Columbus Day --- have taken place in Virginia, which is about as gun-tolerating a state as you're going to find. The reality is that no one, armed or otherwise, can protect himself from a sniper who hides from 200 to 600 yards away and strikes people when they are vulnerable.

Indeed, if people were to follow the NRA's advice and start carrying guns around---to protect themselves, of course --- the sniper would become even less visible than he may be now. He could then carry his weapon in plain sight.

New tactics by murderers call for new strategies for law enforcement. High on this list ought to be taking the ballistic fingerprints of any weapon sold by gun manufacturers and a state by state registration of guns, which could be supported by federal funding much like our national highway system. Another would be the marking of ammunition by lots as it is produced and sold to various outlets.

This idea may be anathema to the NRA, but it's historically and constitutionally viable. Many of the original colonies and states had requirements for gun ownership and kept probate records of gun ownership. The Supreme Court has reaffirmed time and time again the right of states to regulate guns and the right of the federal government to regulate the interstate commerce of guns.

It's ballistic fingerprinting of the murder evidence that has linked together the eleven victims (so far) of the Beltway sniper. If we had ballistic fingerprinting of all guns sold, if we could link the ammunition sold to the buyer to the crimes committed, if we had a list of weapons sold to individuals, we might have the Beltway Sniper in hand by now. Failure to adopt a system to track weapons used in crimes means that America will continue to be terrorized by long distance killers.

The reality for the NRA is that mass murderers like the Beltway sniper threaten the Second Amendment far more than the gun regulation measures advocated to catch him. Great Britain, for example, banned all guns after the horrific slaying of a group of school children. A few more Beltway snipers and Americans may call for the end of gun ownership entirely. Finding better ways of tracking the weapons and bullets of criminals is key to keeping gun ownership available for law-abiding Americans. ***

Photo of the author courtesy of staff files