Before you read this article understand that if you follow the links and study the truth there is no way you can honestly claim firearms are the cause...bad legislation by terrible government tends to be the largest cause...I am writing this article to respond to Liberal Issues Examiner - William Skordelis recent article on this topic.
I am going to ask how many firearm laws you believe are on the books today?
What is the average wait and amount of time for a background check with a firearm?
What is the total amount of LEGAL gun owner’s related crime/ incidents with firearms (meaning with legally purchased firearms how many are used in crimes.)?
Than I will ask how many operator laws, are on the books today?
What is the average wait time for a new vehicle (due to FBI background checks)?
What is the total amount of LEGAL vehicle owning crimes/ incidents?
Again this argument supporting "gun control" is faulty based on bad statistics and kneejerk reactions, it is my educated (based on FACTS) opinion that anyone supporting this type of legislation has never fired a firearm, nor actually researched the reality of the situation.
Here are the answers to the questions based on REAL facts not the ones used by your favorite media heroes.
In Arizona alone there are 48 Firearm related statutes this does not include Federal, or other states this is JUST Arizona. Feel free to check this FACT- btw that is "gun control." Arizona also allows the legal defense of ones life, home, vehicle and family (what is known as the Amended Castle Doctrine)-
California has over 50 with a new one that has not made it on to the books yet, and their violent crime rate is higher than Arizona...(California does NOT allow the legal defense of certain items with regards to what is known as the Castle Doctrine.)
Average wait time for a firearm is based on the location, in Arizona ( I am using my state because we still have our Second Amendment rights in full) one must complete an FBI background check, than this must be called in and depending on the results the firearm is released within a few minutes. However, California has a 15 day wait and again California's violent crime rate is substantially higher than Arizona.
Arizona in 2008 had 447 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. The total number of violent crimes (whether firearm related or not) 29,059. Violent crimes related firearms usage in 2008 was 4,853 per OR 17% of violent crimes-
California in 2008 had 504 per 100,000 violent crimes. The total number of incidents whether firearm related or not were 185,173. Violent crimes related to firearms is unfortunately not available for California though they have published various reports indicating the number is well over 30% of violent crimes - one report indicates over 7,000 people are killed with firearms alone IN California.
US Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters says that there were 41,059 motor vehicle-related deaths in 2007—the lowest number of traffic fatalities/per year since 1992—and that 2.49 million people sustained injuries in highway accidents. Traffic deaths involving passenger vehicles dropped from 30,686 in 2006 to 28,933 in 2007. The number of pedestrian deaths decreased from 4,795 in 2006 to 4,654 in 2007, while the number of pedestrian injury victims increased from 61,000 to 70,000. Bicyclist deaths dropped from 772 deaths in 2006 to 698 deaths in 2007, with injuries to pedal cyclists dropping from 44,000 to 43,000 victims. (these are vehicular in nature...)
The number of Firearm related deaths was UNDER 20,000 (click here)
The end result is that your assumption regarding firearms is based on faulty information, as for whether or not additional laws will further restrict the Second Amendment let me remind you - the Tenth Amendment CLEARLY states "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
The Second Amendment is an INDIVIDUAL right one of the BILL OF RIGHTS - and it clearly states, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. - OR- A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
This means simply that the Federal government cannot and shall not INFRINGE on these rights. (By passing ANY federal firearm, law outside of the Second Amendment the federal government is in fact infringing on these rights.)
As for being personally responsible for our "guns” otherwise known as firearms by those of us who use them; we are held to a far higher standard than you and your bicycle or car or walking. Statistically as LEGAL law abiding SAFE gun owners we are far less likely to get in an accident or lose our lives with them than you are with your bike or car or walking!
Comments
to view a partial list of crimes committed by FBI agents over 1500 pages long see
forums.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=59139
to view a partial list of FBI agents arrested for pedophilia see
dallasnews.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3574
Very well written and informative.
Great article, Jesse.
People tend to forget that firearms are tools, and have no intrinsic "good" or "evil" alignment. It is entirely up to the person who uses the tool whether it will be used towards benevolent or malevolent ends.
Interesting statistical comparisons between auto, pedestrian, and bicycle deaths and firearms related deaths.
The tighter the grasp, the more slip through... *sigh*
Jesse, This one stumped me so I simply tossed my entire arsenal off the Route 50 bridge into the Chesapeake Bay. You wrote: "What is the total amount of LEGAL gun owner’s related crime/ incidents with firearms (meaning with legally purchased firearms how many are used in crimes.)?"
I own five handguns, all acquired legally and all of which are legally configured; i.e., my Colt Woodsman doesn't have a bayonet lug. Question: If a burglar enters my home, opens the safe, and steals my five handguns will they be counted as legally acquired firearms used in crimes? If so, will that amount to a single incident or five? If the B Bunch or the other B outfit--Brady or Bloomberg--wishes the incident count will mount rapidly and it will become illegal to acquire a firearm legally.
Best wishes,
Befuddled
My favorite question to ask after someone tries to exploit a tragedy to call for increased gun control is.
"What law do you want passed that would have prevented this incident?"
Illegal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Illegal, or unlawful, is used to describe something that is prohibited or not authorized by law or, more generally, by rules specific to a particular situation
Jesse, uh lets get this straight, a felon or criminal by law cannot possess much less touch a firearm.
A firearm to be illegal must be illegal to manufacture, distribute or own.
In which of the cases you references was the gun "illegal" or was it the "possession" by one unqualified by law?
This is certainly a heated topic. :-)
The facts speak for themselves, don't they?
I beg to differ with your assertion that in Arizona "...we still have our Second Amendment rights in full". If that were the case, organizations such as the Arizona Citizens Defense League ( AZCDL.org )would have no reason to exist, and the Castle Doctrine, Katrina, and Defensive Display bills would never have been needed; no citizen would have to beg permission of the government to bear arms beneath his coat (and bribe them to grant 'permission' to exercise a right. Yes, we are 'freer' to exercise the rights guaranteed by Amendment II than in some states, but 'in full'? Not by a long shot.
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