gun control
Return to Common Sense
June 21, 2010
Section: Domestic
– Gun Control
“Crime is the
problem, guns are for crime deterrence; deter crime by enforcing existing laws,
not creating new superfluous laws.”
“To disarm the people (is) the best
and most effectual way to enslave them.” George Mason
Philosophy
(Background, Issues, Objectives):
Second amendment guarantees the right
of the people to keep and bear arms.
- “The right of the people to bear Arms shall not be
infringed.”
- Over 20,000 state and local gun laws on the books.
- Gun laws are inconsistently enforced.
- Criminal rarely obtain weapons through legal channels.
Stringent gun control has not achieved
desired results.
- European countries that outlawed guns has
an increase in violent crime.
o In
countries that implemented gun control, citizens have been unable to defend
themselves.
o Great Britain banned handguns
in January 1997, but the number of deaths and injuries from gun crime in
England and Wales increased an incredible 340% in seven years from 1998 to
2005.
o An
old adage says “With guns, we are citizens.
Without them, we are subjects.”
- States with stringent gun control also have higher per capita rate
of violent crime.
- 40 states allow law-abiding citizens to get concealed-carry
permits.
Studies on gun availability did not prove case for
gun control.
- Between 25 and 75 lives are saved by a gun for every one life lost
to a gun.
- Despite increasing numbers of guns, the fatal gun accidents have
been falling since 1903.
- Child firearm fatalities are correlated with adult gun fatalities.
- Child firearm accidental death rate is on long term decline.
- MSM cites any crime involving a gun as breaking the law, which is
frequently dis-proven.
“There
are large drops in overall violent crime, murder, rape, and aggravated assault
that begin right after the right-to-carry laws have gone into effect.
- From the time states passed right-to-carry
concealed handgun laws, the average murder rate dropped from 6.3 per
100,000 to 5.2 per 100,000 ten years later.
- Overall violent crime rates dropped from
475 crimes per 100,000 people to a range of 415-440 after the second full
year that concealed-carry laws were passed.
- Rapes dropped from 40.2 per 100,000 people
to 35.7 per 100,000 ten years later.
Principles:
Crime is the problem; guns are for crime
deterrence.
- Predisposition to violence is predictor of crime.
- Guns are one form of weapon available for escalation.
Recommendations:
Streamline Licensing of gun owners with
common sense rules:
- Conduct background investigation.
- Require gun education prior to licenses.
Simplify registration of all guns.
- Register “bullet fingerprint” for all new guns.
References:
“Statistical
Malpractice – ‘Firearm Availability’ and Violence”
by Miguel A. Faria dated
“Self-Defense:
An Endangered Right” by Joyce Lee Malcolm dated March/April 2004
published by The Cato Institute at http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/v26n2/cpr-26n2-1.pdf .
“Repeal
All Gun Laws. You Read Me Right” by John Longenecker
dated
“Repeal
All Gun Laws, Part IV: Motivation Influences Perception” by John Longenecker dated
“Concealed
Weapons in the Wilderness” by Steve Chapman dated
“Gun-Shy
Liberals” by Jonah Goldberg dated
“Pistol-packing
“After
Virginia Tech, a Closer Look at Gun Stats” by John Lott, Jr. dated
“Gun reform
with NRA blessing” dated
“What
Free Americans Fear Most is Nearer Now” by John Longnecker
date
“Brady
Anti-CCW Campaign Continues” by Howard Nemerov
dated
“For
Non Gun Owners: D.C. vs. Heller and 2A in A Nutshell” by John Longenecker dated
“Our
Natural Rights Are Dying An Unnatural Death” by James T.
“Bitter,
Clingy Gun Owners of
“More
Guns Mean Less Crime” by David Alan Coia
dated May 29, 2010 published by Human Events at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37245
.
“More
Handguns, Less Crime – or More?” by Robert VerBruggen
dated June 21, 2010 published by The American Spectator at http://spectator.org/archives/2010/06/21/more-handguns-less-crime-or-mo
.
