Aaron Lewis isn’t convinced that more regulation is the way to stop mass shootings like the recent Route 91 Harvest Festival tragedy. In a recent interview, the singer-songwriter shared his thoughts on gun control in the wake of the shooting at the country music festival in Las Vegas, Nev.
“There isn’t a law on the books or that could have been on the books that would have stopped this horrible tragedy from happening,” Lewis tells CBS Philly, “and I am not of the belief that you punish the masses because of the few.”
Lewis calls gun control “a very slippery slope, because the people that you are controlling are the law-abiding citizens that follow the laws, that buy guns legally.” Those laws, he says, wouldn’t necessarily help prevent criminals from obtaining guns because “criminals don’t buy guns legally.”
“Criminals don’t follow laws that are applied,” Lewis adds. “So, really, all you’re doing with more gun laws is hindering the law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves from the criminal that isn’t gonna go through all the law-abiding things to get that gun.”
Remembering the Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting Victims
Before the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, many people — including Lewis, he admits — were unfamiliar with bump stocks, the device that the shooter installed on his guns to turn them from semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones. Although some of the shooting’s victims have filed a lawsuit against bump stock manufacturers, Lewis also isn’t sure that outlawing the devices is a good move either.
“Really, how can you blame the actions of a human being on an inanimate object that can’t do anything unless it’s in the hands of a person that chooses to use it with bad intentions?” Lewis asks. “When you take it off the market, the only market that you put it on is the black market, which is where the criminals get their guns. It’s a very slippery slope.”
Lewis is a hunter and a gun owner. During his interview with CBS Philly, he explained that, as a Massachusetts citizen, he underwent the full slate of applications and checks needed to obtain his concealed carry permit.
Lewis is currently on tour with Blackberry Smoke, promoting his newest country album, Sinner. He released the record in September of 2016.
Country Stars Respond Following Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting
This Article Was Originally Posted at www.TheBoot.com
http://theboot.com/aaron-lewis-thoughts-on-route-91-harvest-festival-shooting/
