Hate and Punishment

NATIONAL tragedies sometimes give rise to comic responses. When Buford Furrow killed a letter carrier and shot several children in Los Angeles, these despicable acts by a neo-Nazi stimulated a national desire to make sure “something was done” to prevent such disasters. One response was to call for tougher guncontrol measures, though Furrow had already broken the law when he acquired the weapons he used. Some new gun-control laws may in fact be needed, but the most important thing is to enforce the ones we already have.

The other reaction was to call for the passage of tougher laws against “hate crimes.” The reason for this demand was that it is important to punish the motive for the crime as well as the crime itself.

JW

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James Q. Wilson

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NATIONAL tragedies sometimes give rise to comic responses. When Buford Furrow killed a letter carrier and shot several children in Los Angeles, these despicable acts by a neo-Nazi stimulated a national desire to make sure “something was done” to prevent such disasters. One response was to call for tougher guncontrol measures, though Furrow had already broken the law when he acquired the weapons he used. Some new gun-control laws may in fact be needed, but the most important thing is to enforce the ones we already have.

The other reaction was to call for the passage of tougher laws against “hate crimes.” The reason for this demand was that it is important to punish the motive for the crime as well as the crime itself.