Firearms:
Myths, Misinformation and Outright Lies
Wherein
we take a fishy-eyed look at some of the myths that are floating around
in the gun control debate. It's not that we're pushing a position on
the issue, it's just that we have no tolerance for twisted statistics
and outright lies in the name of Political Correctness.
We
hate to knock the other side of any issue, but Handgun
Control is one of the foremost
disseminators of handgun mythology.
Our
favorite site for information on Second Amendment rights is KABA
- Keep And Bear Arms. Angel Shamaya, KABA's founder and director,
is dedicated to the cause and has put an enormous effort into providing
information. The KABA site is chock full of content, much of it submitted
by the site's visitors. If you want the scoop on the gun control issue
from people who know what they're talking about, this is the place to
go.
Gun
Banners Pound on Table
Congress Action
There
is a joke among lawyers: "When the facts are against you, argue the
law; when the law is against you, argue the facts; when both the facts
and the law are against you, pound on the table." Which is why we see
quite a bit of table-pounding from the gun control crowd.
Brady
Law's Effect Is Discounted
The Washington Post
A
provocative new study published yesterday concludes that the 1994 Brady
law restricting handgun purchases has had no effect on firearm homicide
and suicide rates in states that previously had looser controls. The
study casts doubt on one of the pillars of the gun control movement,
and provides a volatile new addition to the politically charged debate
over how and why the rate of gun crime has declined steadily since its
peak in 1993.
An
Armed Society is a Polite Society
The Cato Institute
In
an analysis of a 1987 Florida law that allowed citizens to carry concealed
firearms in public, Jeffrey R. Snyder found that there was a decrease
in violent crime, not the increase many people had predicted.
"Plastic
Guns" and "Cop Killler" Bullets
KABA
Use
of the sensational term, "cop killer bullet," is dishonest and misleading.
There has never been any bullet invented for the purpose of killing
police officers. And, as the BATF reported to Congress in 1997, no law
enforcement officer has ever been killed or even injured because an
armor piercing bullet penetrated a bullet-resistant vest.
Here's
more on the subject of "cop killer" bullets from Dave Kopel:
Cheney's
"Cop Killer" Rap
The National Review
The
gun-prohibition ventriloquists and their old-media dummies had worked
the first stage of the scam: warning the public about the Òcop-killer
bullet.Ó Never mind that it wasn't on sale. Never mind that there had
never been a known instance of a police officer being shot at, let alone
killed, with such a bullet.
With
the kind of self-righteous ignorance that characterizes most of the
old media's handling of the gun issue, the bullets were described as
ÒTeflon bullets.Ó Supposedly, the Teflon coating allowed the bullet
to penetrate a policeman's Òbulletproof vest.Ó Actually, a Teflon coating
is applied to the outside of a wide variety of ordinary ammunition,
and has nothing to do with better penetrability. Instead, the Teflon
reduces the lead abrasion caused by the bullet's movement down the barrel
of the gun.
Gun
Deaths Among Children and Teens Drop Sharply
The Center for Disease Control
Firearm
deaths for children and teens dropped significantly between 1997 and
1998 according to a new mortality report released today by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. This in spite of the fact that
they're still considering children to be all those under 20 - a factor
that includes 16-19 year old gangstas who could hardly be considered
innocent victims.
Concealed-gun
Law Hasn't Triggered Violence
The Carrier-Journal (KY)
Despite
the fears of opponents, who branded it the "gunslinger bill," the law
enacted in 1996 allowing Kentuckians to carry concealed handguns hasn't
triggered wholesale violence or shootouts in the streets. Figures the
state police are required to collect annually under the the statute
show that permit holders are less likely to be charged with violent
crimes than the population at large.
A
Gun at Home Can Save Lives
The Las Vegas Review-Journal
A
Las Vegas homeowner shot and killed an armed burglar and scared a fellow
intruder into fleeing the scene, leading to his eventual capture. It's
quite likely that had the resident been unarmed, he and his wife would
have died at the hands of the robbers.
The
deadly encounter is at least the eighth occasion over the past three
years that local home or business owners have used lethal force and
killed intruders. The incidents reinforce the benefits of individuals
arming themselves for their own protection.
Bogus
Statistics in the Guinness Book of World Records
According
to 'The world's most popular reference book', "there are currently
more than 200 million guns in the US, where one in four adults owns
a firearm and about 40,000 fatalities are caused by guns each year.
In the last ten (10) years, gun-related homicides in the US have risen
by 18%."
However,
according to the FBI
Uniform Crime Reports from the Department
of Justice website, there were 16,910 fatalities in 1998,
and "A rate of 9.8 per 100,000 population in 1991, declined
sharply to a rate of 6.3 per 100,000 in 1998"
The
Value of Civilian Arms Possession As Deterrent To Crime Or Defense Against
Crime
Don B. Kates Jr.
This
is a long, scholarly report with more than 100 footnotes, but it's well
worth taking the time to read. In the end, Mr. Kates concludes that,
"Widespread defensive gun ownership benefits society as a whole..."
The
Case for Concealed Weapons Carry
KABA
A very gentle, reasoned presentation from which the good-hearted but
misinformed anti-self-defense people may well benefit.
Individuals and organizations that oppose a responsible citizenÕs free
access to weapons that are appropriate for personal defensive employment
generally fall within three categories:
1.Those
who oppose defensive weapons use through uninformed ignorance;
2.Those
whose irrational fear of weapons oppose all weapons in general; and
3.Those
who harbor ulterior motives, seeking to disempower individuals or groups.
Cops
& Guns: A Generational Difference
Bruce J. Emmott
A
retired police officer comes up with some very interesting insights.
And
for the final word...
Pope
Sez Self-Defense is OK with God
In
his Encyclical Letter from 1995, EVANGELIUM VITAE, Pope John Paul II
wrote:
"...legitimate
defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible
for another's life, the common good of the family or of the State. Unfortunately,
it happens that the need to render the aggressor incapable of causing
harm sometimes involves taking his life. In this case, the fatal outcome
is attributable to the aggressor whose actions brought it about, even
though he may not be morally responsible because of a lack of the use
of reason."
Here
are some statistics to think about:
Most
Common Reasons for Emergency Room Visits
1.
Baseball/softball 404,000
2. Dog bites 334,000
3. Playground 267, 000
4. ATVs, mopeds 125, 000
5. Volleyball 98, 000
6. In-line skating 76, 000
7. Horseback riding 71, 000
8. Baby walkers 28, 000
9. Skateboards 25, 000
Source:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Fatal
Accidents Among Youth (1998)
1. Motor Vehicle 47%
2. Drowning 15%
3. Fires 12%
4. Choking 4%
5. Firearms 2%
Source:
Center for Disease Control
Top
Causes of Accidental Death (1997)
1.
Motor vehicles: 43, 200
2. Falls: 14, 900
3. Poisoning by solids or liquids: 8,600
4. Drowning: 4,000
5. Fires, burns and related deaths: 3,700
6. Suffocation by swallowing object: 3,300
7. Firearms-related: 1,500
8. Poisoning by gases and vapors: 700
9. Other (including medical malpractice): 13,900
Source:
National Safety Council's 1998 Accident Facts
And
while we're on the subject of guns, you've prolly heard of the "Buyback
America" program Clinton is pushing - wherin the HUD offers to
buy back guns, but has it occurred to you that's it's our tax money
he's spending on those guns?
Clinton
Continues Gun Buyback Plan
Capitol Hill Blue
And
remember, kids, 83,000,00 responsible American gun owners didn't shoot
anyone today.
