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Gun nuts right, armed self-defense works


Courtesy of Oleg Volk

One of the lies those that push for more gun control perpetuate is that armed self-defense is ineffective. They'll try to tell you that bad guys will take your gun away from you, or that you'd just miss anyway, or that all you'd do is wound and anger an assailant.

Fortunately, their lies have fallen on increasingly deaf ears over the last twenty years or so as concealed carry reform has swept the country. More states than ever recognize the gun rights of their citizens, and the wins are starting to pile up for the good guys.

Take, for example, two recent incidents noted in the Missouri News Tribune.

During a home invasion on Oct. 5, one of the intruders was shot and killed by one of the occupants of the mobile home.
And an armed assailant is recovering from wounds after he was shot Oct. 13 by one of the people he was attempting to herd into a building housing law offices on East Capitol Avenue.

In both of these attacks, it wasn't the police that stopped the criminal. It wasn't security guards, federal agents, or Washington lawmakers who came to their rescue. In true American spirit, they provided safety and security for themselves.

The Ohio media is right now buzzing with the story of the 70-year-old visiting Columbus for a horse convention. Since antiquity, criminals have targeted travelers since they often are traveling with larger than normal sums of money to pay expenses.

While relaxing in her hotel room with her family last night, an armed robber burst into the room and demanded money. One of the people in the room gave him some money, but he demanded more. Instead the feisty granny, who reportedly has a concealed carry license, pulled out her own gun and shot him dead.

Contrast that with the 49-year-old veteran who was robbed and killed at an ATM in East Cleveland yesterday. He tried to fight off his attacker but was unarmed. In another robbery, a Columbus man was shot and killed during a home invasion Saturday night. He, too, was unarmed and at the mercy of the criminal.

It is a sad fact of life that criminals are out there, looking for innocents to victimize. The police cannot be everywhere to protect everyone. No amount of lying by those that would disarm you, the law abiding citizen, will do anything to disarm the criminal bent on doing you harm and taking what you have. Criminals don't obey the law, which is evident by the fact that they're trying to rob you to begin with. Sometimes you do have to fight fire with fire, and the best defense against an armed robbery is arms of your own.

The News Tribune summed it up best:

White said recently: “All the fears over conceal and carry have never manifested.”

We concede the point.

Anecdotal evidence does not suggest an increase in accidents or unprovoked gunplay.

The evidence, however, does show people defending themselves from harm.

The message being sent to felons is don't bring a weapon to a crime unless you're prepared to accept the risk.

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By

Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner

Daniel White graduated from the University of Hartford majoring in Criminal Justice with minors in Sociology and English. He currently serves as...

Comments

  • NotAGunNut 2 years ago
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    Wow! A whole 4 or 5 examples. In contrast, how about the over 1,000 accidental shooting deaths per year? Or how about the more than 700 women shot and killed per year as a result of domestic violence? (maybe they should be conceal carrying 24 hours a day).

    Likely you'll suggest that everyone conceal carry. Who cares if many of them are unstable or border line psychotic.

  • Gun nut 2 years ago
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    If someone tries to threaten or harm me, I will shoot them. Plain and simple. Chances are real good they have already been tried and jailed for a prior crime and are out on the streets again. Guess what? I don't care if I HARM THEM! Oh, and ladies who have abusive husbands should learn how to shoot too. Then they can shoot back. Hello? Yes, they should be carrying 24/7!

  • Patriot 2 years ago
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    NotAGunNut I hope you don't become a victim. Because the ATM killer would kill you for no money, just like he killed the veteran.

  • J C 2 years ago
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    NotAGunNut, yes, there are only 4 or 5 examples in this one article. However, multiple credible estimates of defensive gun uses annually are over 1 million (Gary Kleck's estimate and a US government study). The smallest estimate I have personally seen was still over 100,000. The vast majority of these defensive gun uses do not involve firing the weapon; the sight of a gun deters the criminal.

    700 deaths per year is a tragedy, and we would like to help reduce that number. Do you have any evidence that gun control actually reduces the number of domestic violence deaths?

    Concealed carriers in almost every state have to pass a background check; record of serious mental illness would likely cause them to fail this check. In any case, most people are not mentally unstable, and holders of concealed carry permits commit crimes at lower rates than the general population.

  • Jarhead1982 2 years ago
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    ROTFLMFAO Yep, just go to Latest Armed Self-defense News Stories in "Operation Self Defense: //www.keepandbeararms.com/, there are only what 55 plus incidents here since the beginning of September 2009, only one web site of many so WOW Notagunnut, learn to read and research.

    Actual accidental shooting deaths, per CDC 2006 totals, 642 accidental deaths, Table 13 (fyi, that number has been falling for over 20 years)

    Then again, why are you continually projecting your irrational and unsubstantiated fears onto everyone else attempting to make them feel guilty about what some other person does? Oh thats right, you must believe an inanimate object has supernatural powers and can communicate, simple terms, a gun can speak and influence people. Yeah, that mental deficiency in its initial form is called a fetish. However when it digresses into a more serious mental illness, it is schizphrenia, where one hears voices and obeys their commands.

    Cont

  • Jarhead1982 2 years ago
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    Both stages of the illness feature irrational beliefs and projection, you should seek serious psychiactric help as schizophrenics as a rule end up being a danger to themselves, as well as others. History shows that as you yourself noted, the mentally unstable as the evidence shows you are included, should never have a firearm right?

    We are sure every one here is so relieved that in your one moment of sanity, you refuse to be forced to own a firearm by the monsters inside your head, thereby making everyone safe from any psychotic epsiodes people with your mental illness are prone to.

    Please, do let everyone know how your trip to the funny farm turns out as everyone here really does wish you the best Notagunnut.

  • Jarhead1982 2 years ago
    Report Abuse

    Both stages of the illness feature irrational beliefs and projection, you should seek serious psychiactric help as schizophrenics as a rule end up being a danger to themselves, as well as others. History shows that as you yourself noted, the mentally unstable as the evidence shows you are included, should never have a firearm right?

    We are sure every one here is so relieved that in your one moment of sanity, you refuse to be forced to own a firearm by the monsters inside your head, thereby making everyone safe from any psychotic epsiodes people with your mental illness are prone to.

    Please, do let everyone know how your trip to the funny farm turns out as everyone here really does wish you the best Notagunnut.

  • MacKinnon 2 years ago
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    Regarding notagunut's screed, his comments should be disregarded and considered just so much brain flatulence. To him I say..go know a duck. ("Know",in this case, is the biblical "know"

  • Otter 2 years ago
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    NotAGunNut, I bet you don't keep a fire extinguisher around either. Never prepared and wondering why you couldn't do anything to stop the bad things that only happen to other people. With your type of reasoning, I'm glad you are "NotAGunNut".

  • MamaLiberty 2 years ago
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    I know it gets frustrating, gentlemen, but can we keep this civil?

    "notagunnut" - I am the survivor of a violent attack - by a stranger. I had to shoot him to save my life. If I had not been armed, and willing to shoot, I would be dead.

    Yes, I carry a gun at all times now. I teach armed self defense, especially to women. I want them to have the same option to live in peace. The gun is only a tool, one of many, to reach that goal.

  • NotAGunNut 2 years ago
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    Well, you folks must live in some really bad areas. I'm 50 years old and have never been threatened. If I'm psychotic like jarhead suggests, why am I not feeling this paranoia that someone out there wants to harm me or my family?

    In my opinion, there's a difference between gun enthusiasts and gun nuts. A couple of examples of what I consider gun nut is the clowns that decided it was appropriate to carry their assault weapons to town hall meetings and feel the need to stock up with thousands of rounds of ammo, just in case.

  • Rich 2 years ago
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    Just because you have not needed a particular thing does not mean there is not a danger there. Statistics show you are more likely to die in a violent crime in the USA in your lifetime, than you are in a car accident. Thus you wear a seatbelt but may never have needed it. No one thinks twice about that seatbelt. You must also consider then a weapon for self defense.

  • guncase 2 years ago
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    The US military stocks up on supplies for a nuclear war that will never likely happen spending hundreds of billions a year. My local police in a town that had not had a murder in years stock up on supplies for terrorist attacks that will never likely happen yet they have a compliment of fully automatic weapons with thousands of rounds. Does preparing for possible future incidents make the US military and police gun nuts?

    I have had home owner insurance for years that I have never used. People with insurance must be insurance nuts.

    By your logic the Founding Fathers are gun nuts for having The Bill of Rights. Because they feared the government they created might abuse their children in the future they gave them an ability better then other revolutionaries to fight tyrants by giving them the gun.

  • Sean 2 years ago
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    NotagunNut, I agree with you 100%, that you don't need a gun or thousands of rounds of ammo. Leave that to me and my pro-gun brothers and sisters. That way, you won't be aggravating any shortages, or contributing to the gene pool. See? The problem solves itself!

  • guncase 2 years ago
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    NotAGunNut must live in a place were doors are never locked, armed police never patrol his/her neighborhood, houses never get burglarized, gang bangers don't exist and the FBI Uniform Crime Report is made up by gun nuts about people being violent victims of crime. After all NotAGunNut has never been a victim the past 50 years so there should be no existence of people being assualted or killed by criminals. NotAGunNut lives in a place where the ACLU, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Int. don't exist to complain about government abusing their power since NotAGunNut has never been a victim of gov. abuse of power.

  • Joshua 2 years ago
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    NotAGunNut said, "Wow! A whole 4 or 5 examples."

    Someday I hope you find yourself in the ATM scenario listed in the article above, without being shot. Then and only then will you see the futility of your argument when you won't even have time to call 911.

    Remember, no one ever wants to disarm you unless they intend to do something very bad to you without resistance.

  • Matthew 2 years ago
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    Not a gun nut, I love your ideas of statistics. Let me thrown a few at you. you say that domestic violence is a problem, and guns make it worse. Butthe facts say that since concealed carry has been legal in most states, black men killed by killed by intimates dropped by 83%, white males by 61%, black females by 52%, and white females by 6%. Those are official Bureau of Justice statistics - which also show that the number of male and female intimate victims killed with guns has fallen to an all time low.

  • Matthew 2 years ago
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    Hello Notagunnut. I understand your fear. You think that everyone that has a gun is scary or a nut. But do you avoid dangerous areas? Do you go into a known drug area after dark? Do you read and know American history or world history? My guess is no.

    I am not trying to be mean to you. I just want you to understand that those people in Africa that are just gunned down out of hand, would wish for a gun, to fight back. Suzanna Hupp was in a gun free are, in a gun free zone, when she saw her parents gunned down in front of her eyes. She had a gun, and was not a gun nut at all, in fact, she left hers in her car. She is a gun nut today.

    I would recommend a good history book, then go to a range, talk to the people there and shoot their weapons, almost everyone of them will let you if you act nicely. I am a gun nut. I value freedom, mine AND yours.

  • Willbill 2 years ago
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    NotAGunNut wrote: “In contrast, how about the over 1,000 accidental shooting deaths per year?”

    According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control there were 642 deaths from accidental gunshot wounds in 2006 which was less than two per day nationwide and down 156 from 2005.
    Compare these numbers to accidental deaths by Burns 3,202, Drowning 3,539, Falls 20,823, Poisoning 27,536, and Traffic Accident 42,644.

    NotAGunNut wrote: “Or how about the more than 700 women shot and killed per year as a result of domestic violence?”

    What were your sources for these statistics?

  • Clint 2 years ago
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    Let me just jump in here for a few seconds. I've seen this guy post before. Always stating the same old worn out and tired lies that have plagued the truth for oh so many years. There is absolutely no way anyone can change his mind. I'd be willing to bet even in the face of death by a violent criminal he would still be thinking the same thing. I say let him alone, let him and everyone else like him face the facts when they rear their ugly heads. I too, am a gun nut and damn proud of it.

  • JeffBinTX 2 years ago
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    "NotAGunNut" is the worst kind of paranoid. He fears law-abiding, vetted and tested individuals over the lawless. Get a grip. Better yet, get a pair of grips with a gun in between.

  • GunOwner 2 years ago
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    Hello all! I am like the rest of you a "gun nut", and proud of it. I am also a former boy scout (always be prepared), a Police Officer and a retired member of our nations armed forces. Remember people like notagunnut, Sara Brady, Barry Obama, and others of their ilk... are sick people they have a condition called hoplophobia (the irrational fear of firearms) nothing you or I say or do will ever change their irrational fear of an inanimate object. These people need and should seek professional help.

  • AmericanGunOwner 1 year ago
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    "Well, you folks must live in some really bad areas. I'm 50 years old and have never been threatened.
    ============================================
    So the hell what, friend ?
    Just because YOU havent been raped and murdered is irrelevant.
    This idiotic logic that amounts to YOU havent been killed in a car accident so no one else should drive safe or wear a seatbelt isnt worth the time of day for the intelligent mind who comprehends that crime happens to someone every day...and either we are prepared for it, like we are prepared for an accident, or we arent.
    Apparently you dont wear seat belts either.

  • AmericanGunOwner 1 year ago
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    "What were your sources for these statistics?"
    ============================================
    probably the morons at the Brady Bunch...

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