The Life And Death Cost Of Gun Control....

[Alljackedup408]

These are perfect examples of why gun control is rediculous.

 

December 2nd, 2008 11:45 AM Eastern

The Life-and-Death Cost of Gun Control

By John R. Lott, Jr.

Author/Senior Research Scholar, University of Maryland

 

Banning guns is in the news. India practically bans guns, but that didn’t stop the horrific Muslim terrorist attacks this last week. A football player concerned for his safety violates New York City’s tough gun control regulations by carrying a concealed handgun, and people call for everything from banning NFL players from carrying guns to demanding that the athlete serve many years in jail.

 

 

 

When police can’t promise to protect law-abiding citizens such Plaxico Burress or the victims in India, why don’t we allow people the right to protect themselves?

 

 

Where is the sympathy or debate in either case over letting people defend themselves? Given that the terrorists smuggled their machine guns in with them, would anyone argue that India’s extremely strict gun licensing and artificially high prices for guns helped prevent the terrorist attacks? In fact, the reverse is more likely the case.

 

Would Plaxico Burress, the New York Giant’s receiver who was arrested yesterday, really have been safer just trusting the police to protect him?

 

Terrorism

 

In India, victims watched as armed police cowered and didn’t fire back at the terrorists. A photographer at the scene described his frustration: “There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything. At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, ‘Shoot them, they’re sitting ducks!’ but they just didn’t shoot back.”

 

Meanwhile, according to the hotel company’s chairman, P.R.S. Oberoi, security at “the hotel had metal detectors, but none of its security personnel carried weapons because of the difficulties in obtaining gun permits from the Indian government.”

 

India has extremely strict gun control laws, but who did it succeed in disarming?

 

The terrorist attack showed how difficult it is to disarm serious terrorists. Strict licensing rules meant that it was the victims who obeyed the regulations, not the terrorists.

 

Academic research has continually found that police are the single most important factor in reducing crime, but police can’t always be depended on to be quick enough.

 

The attack also illustrates what Israelis learned decades ago. — Putting more soldiers or police on the street didn’t stop terrorist’s machine gun attacks. Terrorists would either wait for the armed soldiers or police to leave the area or kill them first. Likewise, in India, the Muslim terrorists’ first targets were those in uniform (whether police or security guards).

 

Terrorists only stopped using machine guns to attack Israelis once citizens were allowed to carry concealed handguns. In large public gatherings, a significant number of citizens will be able to shoot at terrorists during an attack — and the terrorists don’t know who has them.

 

With mass shootings becoming more difficult, terrorists were forced to switch to a less effective strategy: bombs. Bombings are more difficult for armed citizens to stop because they can’t respond after the bomb blows up.

 

Still, even though handguns can only kill would-be bombers before they set off their bombs, during waves of terror attacks, Israel’s national police chief will call on all citizens who are allowed to carry guns to make sure they carry their firearms at all times, and Israelis have many examples where citizens with concealed handguns have saved lives.

 

In their warped minds, both terrorists and the murderers are kamikaze-like killers, who value maximizing the carnage. Even if the killers expect to die anyway, letting victims have guns at the scene can help deter these crimes in the first place by reducing their expected return.

 

Do Football Players Need Self-Defense?

 

Physically huge NFL players admitting they feel threatened by crime? This hardly fits their tough, macho image. Our concern is supposed to be for women walking alone at night. Who can have sympathy for a professional football player such as Plaxico Burress who is 6 feet 5 inches and weighs 232 lbs.?

 

Burress, who has no previous criminal record, now faces between three and a half to 15 years for illegally carrying a concealed handgun with him in Manhattan, if convicted. He was arrested Monday and was released on $100,000 bail. — Burress had had a concealed handgun permit in the state of Florida for the last five years, but he forgot to renew it in May this year.

 

While the massive size and strength of NFL players might make them seem like unlikely potential crime victims, their wealth and high public profile nonetheless make them particularly attractive targets for violent criminals. While “only” two players were murdered last year, that means a murder rate of 118 per 100,000 people, compared to 5.9 per 100,000 for the rest of the population. In other words, the rate for NFL players was 20 times higher than the average for the rest of the country. This is even higher than the most at risk segment of the population -– young black males between 18 and 24. It is even higher than the risk faced by police officers.

 

Last year, the Washington Redskins’ Sean Taylor was killed during a robbery at his house. The Denver Broncos’ defensive back Darrent Williams was killed outside a nightclub.

 

As Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber noted, “We are targets, we need to be aware of that everywhere we go.” Yet, the news coverage doesn’t engender much sympathy for Plaxico Burress.

 

So, what do many NFL players do when they realize that their physical strength does not give them enough protection from violent crime? The same thing that many other would-be victims do — they get guns. Well over 50 percent of NFL players are estimated to own guns, somewhat higher than the 45 percent of American adults who own guns.

 

Not everyone approves. Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end and former Chicago Bears football coach, advocates banning NFL players from owning guns. Ditka said, “I don’t understand the league, why can anybody have a gun? I will have a policy, no guns, any NFL players we find out, period, you’re suspended.” AOL Sports writer Michael Smith also supports the ban and says, “If you carry a gun around, you’re more likely to hurt yourself than protect yourself.”

 

It would be great if the police were always there to rescue would-be victims, but as the police themselves understand, they virtually always arrive on the scene after the crime has already occurred. Fortunately, just as criminals are deterred by higher arrest rates or longer prison sentences, the fact that potential victims own guns deters some attackers. The Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, which covers almost 30 years, also shows that having a gun is consistently by far the safest course of action for victims.

 

Over the last three or four years, numerous professional players can attest to the benefits of owning guns. For example, Corey Fuller, the 5-foot, 10-inch, 210-pound defensive back for the Baltimore Ravens, was confronted by two armed robbers outside his Tallahassee house. One robber chased Fuller into his house where his wife and children were sleeping, but Fuller was able to grab a gun and fire at the attackers, who then ran away.

 

T.J. Slaughter, a 6-foot, 233-pound linebacker, was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at motorists who pulled up next to him on the highway. Slaughter denied that he had pointed the gun at the motorists and claimed that they had threatened him. No charges were filed, though, possibly following Dikta’s rule, the Jacksonville Jaguars still cut Slaughter the next day. Jacksonville claimed Slaughter was performing poorly.

 

Professional athletes’ physical strength hardly makes them immune to crime. Take a couple additional examples.

 

– The Oakland Raiders’ Javon Walker (height: 6-3, weight: 215 lbs.) was robbed and beaten this past June while visiting Las Vegas. He was hospitalized with a concussion and facial injuries.

 

– The Houston Texans’ Dunta Robinson (height: 5-10, weight: 184 lbs.) was robbed by two men in his home a year ago. The robbers bound him with duct tape and stole jewelry.

 

Unfortunately all of the nation’s four leading pro-sports leagues — the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball — trivialize the athletes’ concerns over safety. The NFL’s official advice: “In some circumstances, such as for sport or protection, you may legally possess a firearm or other weapon. However, we strongly recommend that you not do so.” The league advocates passive behavior when confronted by a criminal.

 

Fred Taylor (height: 6-1, weight: 228) a running back with the Jacksonville Jaguars made the point clear: “League officials tell us we need to take measures to protect ourselves. But the NFL says we can’t have guns in the facility –even in the parking lot. Crooks know this. They can just sit back and wait for us to drive off, knowing we won’t have anything in our vehicle from point A to point B.”

 

Even professional athletes are not supermen. T.J. Slaughter expresses no regrets for having a gun despite running afoul of political correctness and being cut by the Jaguars. He says, “I believe legally owning a gun is the right thing to do. It offers me protection. I think one day it could save my life.” It seems a lesson that many who are not quite as strong can also learn from.

 

Toys R Us

 

The media can’t be blamed for some of the left out information and misimpressions about guns. For example, the news coverage over the weekend about a shooting at a Toys R Us in Palm Desert, California gave the wrong impression about guns. It seemed the perfect fit –- two couples squabbling over who would get a toy resulting in a deadly shoot out. Surely this demonstrated the dangers of letting people have guns for self defense.

 

But political correctness made it difficult for local authorities to even admit a simple and important fact — the two couples were members of rival gangs. As Palm Desert city councilman Bob Spiegel told The L.A. Times, there were apparently “two rival groups shopping at the store.” Even stories that mentioned the gangs often left the mention until the end.

 

Unfortunately, commentators at places such as the Huffington Post confuse letting gang members and law-abiding citizens carry guns. As one remarked: “does anybody still think concealed weapons laws are a good idea?” But in contrast to gang members, data for states like Florida or Texas indicate that concealed handgun permit holders lose their permits for any gun-related violation at hundredths or thousandths of one percent and even then usually for very trivial, non-threatening violations.

 

Conclusion

 

When police can’t promise to protect law-abiding citizens such Plaxico Burress or the victims in India, why don’t we allow people the right to protect themselves? Unfortunately, bans do more to encourage crime than prevent it.

 

John Lott is the author of Freedomnomics and a senior research scholar at the University of Maryland.

[Zembonez]

I think everybody should have the right to keep and bear arms. Rational, sane citizens do not injure anybody but instead keep their arms for the defense of themselves and the people around them. Many states currently have strict laws which defy the second amendment of our constitution, but whiney "Nanny" groups continue to push for more restrictions. It's just another typical case of blaming the tool, not the perpetrator. They refuse to place blame on the criminals...

 

"MUST BLAME THE GUNS" "MUST BLAME THE GUNS" "MUST BLAME THE GUNS"

 

We have lost all clues of what accountability and responsibility are in this country. (or at least a major part of it) Symbolism has become more important than substance. (Don't believe me? Look at the Socialist fruitcake we just elected president - not that the other side offered anything any better)

 

I can assure you that if and when the shit hits the fan, they will have to come through several thousand rounds of hot lead to get my guns!

 

Thank God I live in Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: BUY GUNS & AMMO!

[Alljackedup408]

yep... i just purchased a new 45 springfield xd..and shizz ton of ammo =) if anyone is thinking about making major mods to your current guns.. better do it now... before all those pieces are made illegal. ive got a 13 round clip for my xd.. which under the clinton law was illegal...and im sure obama will have the same rules.. if not worse.

 

guns dont kill people... people kill people... and im stickin to that!

[SoCalChris]

Great post with some excellent points. I couldn't agree more.

[carneyman]

Excellent post. Too bad the libs won't listen to reason. Anyone who advocates "gun control" and stricter gun laws doesn't understand that the criminals, the ones that commit crimes, aren't worried about breaking another law. All they see are guns, and guns get up and kill people at random.

 

Edit: I should have invested some money in the gun market a few weeks/months before the election...sales are through the roof!

[Alljackedup408]

i know.. the gun i purchased is now 250 bucks more than when i bought it... wtf?? lol

[thewaterboy]

I think everybody should have the right to keep and bear arms. Rational, sane citizens do not injure anybody but instead keep their arms for the defense of themselves and the people around them. Many states currently have strict laws which defy the second amendment of our constitution, but whiney "Nanny" groups continue to push for more restrictions. It's just another typical case of blaming the tool, not the perpetrator. They refuse to place blame on the criminals...

 

"MUST BLAME THE GUNS" "MUST BLAME THE GUNS" "MUST BLAME THE GUNS"

 

We have lost all clues of what accountability and responsibility are in this country. (or at least a major part of it) Symbolism has become more important than substance. (Don't believe me? Look at the Socialist fruitcake we just elected president - not that the other side offered anything any better)

 

I can assure you that if and when the shit hits the fan, they will have to come through several thousand rounds of hot lead to get my guns!

 

Thank God I live in Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: BUY GUNS & AMMO!

 

Well said!!

[ALange]

Stock up on ammo! That is where the main attack on our rights will end up. I recommend everyone get a curio and relic license and buy lots of reasonable milsurp rifles and pistols. Stock up on enough for your children and grand children. For those of you who haven't heard of the C&R license, it is a collectors FFL 30 bucks for three years. Firearms like CZ pistols, Yugo SKS, Mausers, etc shipped to your house viia mai, UPS, FEDEX from the distributor. Very reasonable prices buying direct. The C&R is NOT a dealer license, but a collectors. You will find plenty of deals on ammo also. Ammo prices have gone through the roof in the last few years and I am glad I have my own AHA.

[Chestah]

Gun control & Gun-Free zones are fantasy policies that were drafted by people so far detached from reality there's a whole political party dedicated to it. The reality is that no criminal willing to use a gun for violence will follow a law saying he or she can't have the weapon or have it in said location. This point is proven by school shootings, etc. But these laws do sucessfully do one thing, disarm people who follow the rules (people who don't use guns for violence).

 

It's simple and elementary logic, and I will never understand how these laws were placed into effect. The scary thing is, people have and will continue to die from these bills drafted by dumbasses.

[DofD]

Being up here in Canada we have a different perspective (or lack thereof) of guns and gun control. The general consensus is to pass more and more restrictive gun control legislation making it more and more difficult for people to legally own guns. All this legislation is aimed to control and reduce gun related injuries and deaths. All this legislative effort is utter folly based on invalid premises. To reduce gun related violence and deaths, don't legislate against the people who wish to legally own guns for legal purposes (hunting, sport, collecting, etc). People need to realize that one cannot legislate banning stupidity, or legislate against criminals getting their hands on guns by other than legal means. If they want to control gun related violence then legislate more money for fighting against gangs, organized crime, firearm smuggling, and the people who commit the crimes. A gun is only a tool and when used in a crime it should be considered no different than if a knife, bat, tire iron, etc. The person committed the crime, not the tool. People up here then bring up the non-crime related injuries and deaths and I say while sad and tragic, one cannot legislate away stupidity. It's not hard to practice common sense gun safety.

 

I consider myself a "realistic liberal". I am not a hunter, nor do I own a gun, but I am not anti-gun. I have used a variety of guns through friends for target and skeet shooting. Do I feel a need to own gun right now, no I don't. But do I want some witless dumb f*&^ to legislate something saying I cannot own one if I want to, absolutely not.

[C & A s Dad]

You guys are just so narrow minded and wrong about this.

 

Everyone knows that if a law is passed concerning anything, including gun control, everyone will obey it 100%.

 

Just consider the following:

 

Speed limits. Everyone obeys the speed limits posted up and down all roads.

Robbery. It is against the law to take something from someone if they are not willing to give it to you. Everyone obeys this law and there are no robberies.

Assault It is against the law to assault someone and once again, there have been no assaults since this law was passed.

Driving while under the influence. I feel sure there has not been one case of driving while intoxicated since this law was passed.

Rape I am not sure when it became illegal to rape a woman but as you know there have been no reported rape cases in years.

Electing stupid politicians Oh yea, there is no law against this and you see what is happening every time we have another election.

 

 

As crazy as all of this sounds, there are people who actually believe that making guns illegal, will elimiate criminals from having guns. To that I say

[Zembonez]

As crazy as all of this sounds, there are people who actually believe that making guns illegal, will elimiate criminals from having guns. To that I say

Very true.

 

There are those liberal thinkers among us that believe that making guns illegal will make guns go away... they live in a bubble world where the symbolism of being so politically correct actually is more important than ANY actual results from implementing such ludicrous laws. They really believe that a law will fix it all.

 

Nothing against our Canadian brothers (or even the UK or Australia), but their violent crime rates INCREASED markedly upon their enforcement of laws against regular citizens possessing firearms.

 

HMMMM? I wonder why?

 

Jeez.

 

Remember: Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.

[DofD]

Nothing against our Canadian brothers (or even the UK or Australia), but their violent crime rates INCREASED markedly upon their enforcement of laws against regular citizens possessing firearms.

 

HMMMM? I wonder why?

 

Jeez.

 

Remember: Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.

 

It's easier to rob unarmed sheep than it is to rob armed sheep. Also I was reading a report that said criminals are/were using the Canadian gun registry to target individuals for home robberies to steal the guns. Way to go there govt ! Asses!

 

Yep, for sure politicians love unarmed peasants.

[ALange]

Nothing against our Canadian brothers (or even the UK or Australia), but their violent crime rates INCREASED markedly upon their enforcement of laws against regular citizens possessing firearms.

 

HMMMM? I wonder why?

 

Jeez.

 

Remember: Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.

 

It's easier to rob unarmed sheep than it is to rob armed sheep. Also I was reading a report that said criminals are/were using the Canadian gun registry to target individuals for home robberies to steal the guns. Way to go there govt ! Asses!

 

Yep, for sure politicians love unarmed peasants.

 

 

The per capita violent crime rate in the UK dwarfs the USA by a large margin. Kids are getting knifed on a daily basis in their cities and yes, plenty of gun violence. The crime rate 100 miles north or south of the US/Canadian border is essentially the same, I let you ponder the reasons why. I have my own theory. Another myth is liberals are anti gun, they are not, they own lots of guns legal and illegal just as much as anyone else. They are just against other non-like minded people's guns. Guns in the hands of the peasants (working class) is definately a threat to those that wish to redistribute wealth (steal your money). To me the liberal movement mainly consists of those working for the govt or those that are feeding from the publicly funded nipple. The working class is by nature more conservative. Our founding fathers predicted this and placed the second ammendment right next to free speach for this very eventuality. I'll go one further and say Thomas Jefferson would be extremely dissappointed that Americans didn't revolt a century ago. The founding father's knew first hand that elected and appointed officials have to be bitch slapped occasionally to keep them focused. The 16th Ammendment (income tax imposition) by mainly peoples definition violates the constitution and should have brought the 2nd Ammendment into play. Our populace has too many government fed sleep walking zombies and we are complacent. The government run schools are indoctrinating the youth on redefined standards. Independant thought is discouraged. Words and concepts are being redefined. The word militia was once honorable and part of most state constitutions. The word has been twisted by the thought control police to mean something else. That is one example. The attack is right out in the open on Christianity and on going today. Try to put up a Nativity scene in a public park this year and some government fed person will object, just watch. Crap, I got myself fired up, coffee time, deep breaths, om mani padni ommmmmm

[Nick The Great]

The per capita violent crime rate in the UK dwarfs the USA by a large margin. Kids are getting knifed on a daily basis in their cities and yes, plenty of gun violence. The crime rate 100 miles north or south of the US/Canadian border is essentially the same, I let you ponder the reasons why. I have my own theory. Another myth is liberals are anti gun, they are not, they own lots of guns legal and illegal just as much as anyone else. They are just against other non-like minded people's guns. Guns in the hands of the peasants (working class) is definately a threat to those that wish to redistribute wealth (steal your money). To me the liberal movement mainly consists of those working for the govt or those that are feeding from the publicly funded nipple. The working class is by nature more conservative. Our founding fathers predicted this and placed the second ammendment right next to free speach for this very eventuality. I'll go one further and say Thomas Jefferson would be extremely dissappointed that Americans didn't revolt a century ago. The founding father's knew first hand that elected and appointed officials have to be bitch slapped occasionally to keep them focused. The 16th Ammendment (income tax imposition) by mainly peoples definition violates the constitution and should have brought the 2nd Ammendment into play. Our populace has too many government fed sleep walking zombies and we are complacent. The government run schools are indoctrinating the youth on redefined standards. Independant thought is discouraged. Words and concepts are being redefined. The word militia was once honorable and part of most state constitutions. The word has been twisted by the thought control police to mean something else. That is one example. The attack is right out in the open on Christianity and on going today. Try to put up a Nativity scene in a public park this year and some government fed person will object, just watch. Crap, I got myself fired up, coffee time, deep breaths, om mani padni ommmmmm

 

Well said.

 

I remember when I was 8 or 10, we were outside, and my dad had me run into the house to grab "the 12 gauge." It was no different than having me run into the house to grab "the hammer" or "the screwdriver." Imagine having a kid do that nowadays. Sh!t would hit the fan!