Reply #26: Let us look at the facts... [View All]

[HiDemGunOwner]

There are at least two instances of a shooting at a school being thwarted or interrupted by law abiding citizens with firearms. (Appalachian Law School is one, I can't immediately recall the other)

States with liberalized concealed carry laws have lower crime rates and virtually zero crime by CCW holders. (See Florida and Texas crime reports)

CCW holders are on average, better shots than most police officers. Multiple reports of police shootings show that officers have "hit" ratios of less than 50%, and yet many opponents of liberalized CCW cite concerns about bystanders being hit. Why aren't they concerned about bystanders being hit by errant police rounds?

Irrational fear of law abiding gun owners and CCW holders is just that, irrational. All experience to date, in multiple states, show that the fears of "Wild West" conduct by CCW holders, and the "blood in the street" analogies are unfounded. Even the CDC has stated there is no basis in evidence that gun-control laws have resulted in any reduction in crime or gun-related deaths.

And, you do know that the police are not obligated to protect you, right? And, that calling 911 rarely results in police getting to the scene of a crime in time to stop it, right? Or maybe you are concerned that someone may have their gun taken by the criminal and used against them? Well, that's not true either - Results from the National Crime Victimization Survey report that a victims gun is forcibly removed less than 1% of the time (NCVS as reported in Gary Kleck & Jongyeon Tark, Resisting Crime: The Effects of Victim Action on the Outcomes of Crimes, 42 CRIMINOLOGY 861, 903 (2005)). Here's a good example of why you shouldn't rely on 911...this woman did everything right. Made multiple reports to the police, called 911 and retreated as far as possible during a break-in, and despite all of this, she needed to use a gun to neutralize the threat posed by the intruder. http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=178362&page=1
Since she had just gotten the gun she righteously used to defend herself that day, a waiting period for said purchase could have resulted in a less favorable outcome, i.e., good guy/girl dead instead of the bad guy.

The reason I think most people are supportive of more gun control laws are that they are uninformed on the facts, and the facts are frequently mis-represented, or worse, completely ignored, by the main stream media. Even worse, IMHO, are the public figures, celebrities and politician, who express their anti-gun stances, yet either hire bodyguards that carry guns (Rosie O'Donnell) or have concealed carry permits (Dianne Feinstein - who wants to ban all guns, yet obtained a CCW and carries because she received "threats"). I don't know about you, but I cannot afford to hire a bodyguard, and if I were living in San Francisco, I doubt I would ever qualify for a CCW, despite a perceived need and demonstrated competency. Why the hypocrisy?