by Ken Vincent, Featured Contributor
NOW HERE IS A THEORY that I simply don’t understand. That is the theory that by eliminating handguns in control of the public, crime will be reduced. Or the theory that accidental death will be reduced. Really?
More people die in auto accidents than by accidental gun firing. So, should we ban the public ownership of automobiles?
Does anyone really believe that a person bent on criminal activity, whether shooting his neighbor or robbing the magic market, really cares whether his hand gun is legal or not? You can buy an illegal gun in any city on any given night today. Is making the ownership of hand guns going to stop that? Of course not, it will just make the illegal guns cost more and create a larger black market for them.
School shootings are not a result of the public owning guns. I had my own gun from the time I was 10 and most of the kids I knew did too. None of us ever took a gun to school. School shootings are the result of lack of parental supervision and moral/ethical training. A disturbed kid (or ex-employee) can kill someone with a knife or a hatchet from the garage. It doesn’t take a gun to do the job, just a disturbed individual.
Proponents of gun control always ask the question of why anyone would want to own a gun. Well, home protection is certainly a viable reason. Even police officers will tell you that they can’t protect you or your home. Most cities see a 20 minute or more response time for police calls. Mostly a 911 call arranges for a body to be identified and moved.
Some are hunters and yes many hunters carry hand guns in addition to rifles or shotguns. Shooting a rattle snake with a 3030 is not very practical. Many gun owners are collectors. It is a hobby that is no different than collecting stamps, jewelry, or art work. No, I’ve never known a gun collector to rob a bank or kill his kids.
I know no one that feels the public should have anti-tank weapons, rockets, or other military hardware. I have also found that most gun owners are very much in favor of proper training in their use and a secure place to store them.
So, perhaps some liberal that is determined to take my guns can tell me why that is a good thing?
