"Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Fox News Sunday today that the mass shootings in Arizona yesterday are "unrelated" to Arizona's gun laws: "The weapons don't kill people, it's the individual that kills people.""Paul condemned the shootings, which included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords among its victims. She remains in critical condition after being shot in the head."Paul said that though Arizona is only one of three states that allows people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, "I don't think that that plays into this at all. Really, I think they're unrelated." Here.Guns don't kill people. Guns don't conceal themselves. Also, permissive gun laws don't kill people. Neither does violent rhetoric with Gabrielle Gifford in the cross hairs kill people. Where have we heard this before?

Margaret O’Brien Steinfels is a former editor of Commonweal. 

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