Why People Fear Guns

Fox News ^ | 1-2-04 | John R. Lott Jr.

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By John R. Lott Jr.

People fear guns. Yet, while guns make it easier for bad things to happen, they also make it easier for people to protect themselves.

With the avalanche of horrific news stories about guns over the years, it's no wonder people find it hard to believe that, according to surveys (one I conducted for 2002 for my book, "The Bias Against Guns," and three earlier academic surveys by different researchers published in such journals as the Journal of Criminal Justice)

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I didn't find this already posted- So rarely do we see positive commentary on guns I felt this deserved a thread. I would have liked to see Fox give this more prominence. Maybe we can email and get them to do a more in-depth story rather than just run an opinion piece.

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[Lady Jag]

They are indespensible
and in the right hands
guns are fun.

[TERMINATTOR]

Bang!

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lol
At one time my ex and I owned a gun, I believe it was a Glock, not sure. It was very heavy. But, we went to indoor target practice and it was great. I'm not a bad shot ;^) (better than he was anyway lol). My current hubby and I don't have a gun now, but it's a financial issue. He grew up around guns/hunting so we'll get something after some bills are paid.

[two23]

bump

[jocon307]

Thanks for posting this. I sent it on to a fellow at work, years ago he and I were debating this subject and I told him: you never hear about the defensive use of guns.

Now, this man is very smart, very well educated (Fordham Law) but as with so many, he is a slave to the NY Times editorial page. All the natural sceptiscism (sp?!?!?!) seems to go down the tubes when confronted with the arrogant opinioneering of the Times, etc.

I told him to make sure he reads the whole piece, hopefully it will open his Northeastern-liberal eyes a bit.

Happy New Year!

[thatdewd]

bttt

[neverdem]

Nice find, BTTT and Happy New Year!!!

[El Gato]

At one time my ex and I owned a gun, I believe it was a Glock, not sure. It was very heavy

If it really was 'very heavy', it probably was not a Glock. The frame of Glocks is a type of plastic (a polymer) and is very light. The slide and barrel are steel though, so the gun still has some heft to it. If your only exposure to handguns was a Glock, you might percieve it to be very heavy. I have an EAA Witness polymer compact and a 1911A1, both in .45 ACP, after shooting mostly the Witness for some time, the 1911 feels like an anvil, with a front sight so thin as to be almost invisible. :)

[Tim Osman]

[sonofatpatcher2]

Just shot off such e-mail to Fox & Friends

[Fledermaus]

As a couple of reporters told me, journalists are uncomfortable printing such positive gun stories because they worry that it will encourage children to get access to guns.

Maybe they ought to try to be actual JOURNALIST and REPORT THE NEWS instead of having an AGENDA!

That's a novel idea.

[ExSoldier]

There are two books out that address the problem presented by the media: First read: "Bias" by Bernard Goldberg and then read: "Arrogance" by the same author. They explain all! BTW, the author is a self professed liberal and has been completely vilified by his own kind and he put in 23 years as a reporter for CBS News. This is the first time I ever heard a liberal say: "I would never own a gun, but I am NOT anti-gun." The NRA did a full interview of him in one of their magazines recently, I think it was "America's First Freedom" magazine.

[Mean Daddy]

I work at an insurance company and about a year ago, one of our custodians decided to get fired. Rather then cuss out a manager, he rolled up a carpet, threw it at a security guard and proceeded to start punching him. The security guard screamed for help and luckily the guy servicing the ATM machine heard him, ran to him and pulled out his revolver. Amazingly, the fight ended.

The custodians story made it into the Omaha World Herald later as he about froze to death on a city bench. He was taken to a hospital and had several things amputated due to frostbite. He died several weeks later.

No mention was made of the self defense portion of the story.

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(skepticism)

Well, I hope so. It is definitely bass-ackwards the way its reported. Always amazes me when the lefties cry about civil liberties being taken away- all the while they are trying to give away a very important one!

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Well, I'm fairly petite...I was ticked off he got a handgun that I needed both hands to hold and fire with any accuracy. The gun was some well-known make- and definitely a German/foreign sounding name. He bought it because of the famous name. It was all or almost all steel-looking (no black that I recall).

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From the website:

Note: Violent Crime includes Murder, Non-Negligent Manslaughter, Rape, Aggravated Assault and Robbery. Part 1 Index Crime includes all violent crime plus Burglary, Larceny, Auto Theft and Arson.

To control for population differences and make descriptions and comparisons between jurisdictions more accurate and meaningful, index crimes are reported at the rate per 100,000 persons. The rate is figured by dividing the number of crimes by the total population and then multiplying by 100,000.

Crime Statistics also indicate that incidents involving the use of a firearm during the commission of a crime make-up less than 2% of all reported Part 1 Crimes. Since 1982 approx. 4,900 Part 1 Crime incidents were reported with approx. 59 involving the use of a firearm.

1981 (Year prior to Gun Ordinance)
Population: 5,242
Burglaries: 54
Total Part 1 Crimes: 228

1982 (Year Gun Ordinance Passed)
Population: 5,308 (+1% )
Burglaries : 35 ( -35%)
Total Part 1 Crimes: 165 ( -27%)

1998 (Compared to 1981)
Population: 19,000 ( +275%)
Burglaries: 36 (-33%)
Total Part 1 Crimes 227(+0%)

[Lady Jag]

My first gun was given to me at age 11, a little .22 semi-auto rifle which I still have decades later.

What costs less than a gun is an NRA pistol protection class at your local firing range. I used to be an NRA insructor and don't know if your state requires them for a license, but I'll tell you, the local club and the class were often great ways to find very good prices on firearms.