Posted on 02/02/2012 5:56:56 PM PST by FreedomPoster
The ostensible purpose of gun control legislation is to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. The restriction of access to firearms will make criminals unable to use guns to shoot people. Gun control laws will also reduce the number of accidental shootings. Those are the desired effects, at least in theory. It is important, however, for conscientious policymakers to consider not only the stated goals of gun control regulations, but the actual results that they produce.
What would be the effect of depriving ordinary, law-abiding citizens from keeping arms for self-defense? One result seems certain: the law-abiding would be at a distinct disadvantage should criminals acquire guns from underground markets. After all, it is simply not possible for police officers to get to every scene where they are urgently needed.
Outside of criminology circles, relatively few people can reasonably estimate how often people use guns to fend off criminal attacks. If policymakers are truly interested in harm reduction, they should pause to consider how many crimes — murders, rapes, assaults, robberies — are thwarted each year by ordinary persons with guns. The estimates of defensive gun use range between the tens of thousands to as high as two million each year.
This paper uses a collection of news reports of self-defense with guns over an eight-year period to survey the circumstances and outcomes of defensive gun uses in America.
Federal and state lawmakers often oppose repealing or amending laws governing the ownership or carrying of guns. That opposition is typically based on assumptions that the average citizen is incapable of successfully employing a gun in self-defense or that possession of a gun in public will tempt people to violence in "road rage" or other contentious situations. Those assumptions are false. The vast majority of gun owners are ethical and competent. That means tens of thousands of crimes are prevented each year by ordinary citizens with guns.
She still is Miss America to me!
bump
Was wondering where you gone off to!
That round will scare the hell out of whatever it doesn't hit.
Go Dave!!!
Go Dave!!
Wow!
Good work!
Thanks for the ping.
Good luck in your new carrier at the hospital and thanks for the update ping.
If you have the time, give the list a shout whenever you get published or have a chance to appear on TV
On her behalf, I'd like to give you a big, FReeping THANK YOU for both the website and your efforts.
She'll be thrilled when I tell her I've spoken to you.
It is important, however, for conscientious policymakers to consider not only the stated goals of gun control regulations, but the actual results that they produce.That, right there, is the problem. Leftists don't care if the legislation works. As long as they give the apperance of doing something and they're doing so with all the best intentions, results don't matter.
The overarching purpose of the second amendment is to allow the people to protect themselves against the very entity that wishes to disarm us - the government.
“...being necessary for the security of a FREE STATE,...”
We can’t hardly have a free state when the government has a monopoly on weapons now, can we?
It's really hard to compile accurate statistics on defensive gun use, since many cases may not be reported. Some years ago, I had to draw on a druggie to convince him to get out of my car and leave me alone. I continued my drive, never reported it, and was more diligent thereafter about keeping my car doors locked when driving in the city.
I think the perfect example (well, not perfect but notably representative) is in the movie "Men in Black" when the Alien approaches the tow truck driver with the shotgun - the tow truck driver simply says "Please..." and then pulls back his jacket to display a rather large revolver (possibly a 44 mag, but I don't remember).
How many times does just displaying a weapon give the bad guy second thoughts. I mean, stealing a quick $40 from Granny seems easy, but it isn't worth the risk of getting a 38 caliber hole through the head!
Outstanding.
It is safe to assume that any reported numbers are absolute minimums due to the above. But accurate numbers mean zip to the anti-2nd crowd. They ignore anything except what they "feeeeeelllll" is right. I loved the case in which two anti-gunners were going to do a statistical study to "debunk" Gary Kleck, and ended up getting MUCH HIGHER values for defensive gun usage than he did. They spent a large part of their paper proving why THEIR OWN NUMBERS just had to be wrong.
You can kill a man or any type of African big game with a .22. With that said, shot placement becomes more critical as caliber decreases. For myself, give me .45 the way Colt figured it for (semi) automatic pistols.
If your son is confident enough of his marksmanship even in the heat of a life or death encounter, more power to him.
You’ve been a busy guy. We’ve missed your posts.
Exactly! The only part of a firearm I have ever used for self defense is the rackety rack of a pump 12 ga. I never mentioned to the police exactly why the guy trying to break down my door left so suddenly.
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