Earlier this month, a group of about 10 masked individuals entered a crowded railway station in China and proceeded to attack the innocent employees and commuters. At the conclusion, at least 29 were dead and another 143 injured. These perpetrators did not rely on assault rifles, or even firearms of any kind. Instead, they wielded knives, and still wreaked havoc in an already problem-riddled region.
If firearms had been used, there would be an outcry in the U.S. media, portraying the attacks as perpetrated by the firearms, rather than the individuals pulling the trigger. There would be comparisons to other atrocities, such as Sandy Hook or Columbine. However, since the attackers used knives, the crime has not even been a blip on the gun control radar, yet it is important that it is considered in the debate.
This attack shows that firearms are not necessary to inflict such damage. It also shows that the real issues with these incidents are the reasons behind them and the individuals that commit them, rather than the tool that is used. The Xinjiang attack is evidence that when individuals or a group want to commit such violence, they will find a way to do so.
If you were asked to name the deadliest attack on a school in U.S. history, what would come to mind? Sandy Hook? Virginia Tech? Maybe Columbine? The correct answer is actually the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Mich., in 1927. This act of violence resulted in the death of 45 people and injuries to another 58.
The individual behind this attack decided that dynamite was his weapon of choice, setting off explosions at his farm and the school before detonating an explosion in his truck before he was finished. Like the Xinjiang attack, the Bath massacre utilized weapons that can be just as destructive, if not more so, than firearms. Yet any attack with a weapon other than a firearm does not drum up the political discussion that a single gunshot does.
The Xinjiang attack did not create a stir over knife control because such an argument would be considered laughable. However, if you replace the knives with firearms, it becomes a political platform for a few weeks or months before people forget about it again, even if the argument is exactly the same, just aimed at a different weapon.
Any such crime is reprehensible and should be followed by swift and harsh justice. However, let us not allow political ideology to stand in the way of observing the reality of the situation: These attacks were committed by people, not by weapons.
Trenton Winford is a senior public policy leadership major from Madison.
