I
think it's time for Americans to demand our politicians to “man-up”
to the National Rifle Association. We just buried a fine lady
deputy, senselessly killed. A 3 year old found a gun under the car
seat and killed himself. Another child was playing with a gun and
killed his infant sibling. A kid goes to school and shoots
classmates for no good reason. A driver shoots at another motorist,
who cut him off. A drive-by shooting into a house kills an innocent
infant. These are just a few of the recent events caused by the
overly permissive hand gun regulations. The NRA claims more lives are
saved by gun ownership preventing deaths, that don't get publicity.
In reality, the rare times that's the case, every body applauds the
homeowner or clerk that shoots the bad guy. That news is not held
back.
I'm
not against gun ownership. I used to be a avid hunter, and even
helped pay my way through college by collecting specimens for a
museum. I have owned a number of guns. I have never owned a
handgun, but qualified as expert marksman, and carried one in
Vietnam. But I believe the NRA has prevented rational regulation of
handguns and the legalization of assault weapons.
Why
does a person need a handgun. To protect his home? If so where does
he keep it. Hopefully locked up, if children are around, or ever
visit. If so, how long will it take him to recover it in an
emergency. Does it have a round in the firing chamber? That causes a
lot of accidents. Why wouldn't a shotgun, which would be more
effective for home protection, and would be safer if children are
present. Better still, have some flying insect killer, that shoots a
spray 20 feet, and is much safer protection.
Concealed
weapon permits are popular and easy to obtain. Why? If the person
is carrying valuables it would make sense, many just think it's
macho, but most just want to have a gun under the seat, in the glove
box, or somewhere else in the car. The bad guys easily get handguns
from cars. home burglaries, and gun shows.
From
my reading of the Constitution, it is obvious that the right to bear
arms was directly related to maintaining a “citizen militia”.
This did not mean a group of folks dressing up and playing war games,
or preparation to overthrow an oppressive government (as expressed in
the Federalist Papers when referring to King George of England).
Incidentally that didn't work out very well for the Confederacy, did
it. Other references in the Constitution clearly state that what
the writers were referring to was what we call the National Guard. It specifically states that the President will be the Commander in Chief of the Militia.
Here
are some random statistics concerning firearms.
Five
out of six gun-possessing felons obtained handguns from the secondary
market and by theft, and “[the] criminal handgun market is
overwhelmingly dominated by informal transactions and theft as
mechanisms of supply.”170
| Average number of firearm thefts that occur every year in the US: | 341,000 |
| Percentage of Americans who feel that "the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict": | 62 |
| Number of murders committed in 1995 in the US: | 20,043 |
Percentage
of murders committed with a firearm:
|
68 (13,673) |
Percentage
of murders committed with a handgun:
|
56 (11,198 |
Although
handguns make up only 34% of firearms, approximately 80% of
firearm homicides are committed with a handgun.
Women
face an especially high risk of handgun violence.
In 2008, 71% of female homicide victims were killed with a
handgun. |
1991
study documenting the effectiveness of Washington, D.C.’s law
banning handguns (this law was recently repealed following the U.S.
Supreme Court ruling finding it unconstitutional in District
of Columbia v. Heller,
128 S. Ct. 2783 (2008)) found that following the enactment of the ban
in 1976, there was a 25% decline in homicides committed with firearms
and a 23% decline in suicides committed with firearms within the
District of Columbia.
No similar reductions were observed in the number of homicides or
suicides committed by other means, nor were similar reductions found
in the adjacent metropolitan areas in Maryland and Virginia.
An
analysis of Texas’ CCW law, (a law adopted in 1995 that
overturned the state’s 125-year ban on concealed weapons), found
that between January 1, 1996 and August 31, 2001, Texas license
holders were arrested for 5,314 crimes, including murder, rape,
kidnapping and theft.
From
1996 to 2000, Texas CCW holders were arrested for weapons-related
crimes at a rate 81% higher than that of the state’s general
population age 21 and older.
The
U.S. has the highest rate of firearm deaths among 25 high-income
nations.
Another
study concluded that among 36 high-income and upper-middle-income
countries, the U.S. has the highest overall gun mortality rate.
It
seems that at the very least, owners of handguns should be held
accountable for their handguns. Those that do not protect their
handguns from minors, or thieves, drink while carrying, or other
careless operation, should lose their right to carry or possess.
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