Justice Letters » Blog Archive » The Necessity of Guns
Dear Anti-Gun America,
Every day I see an editorial about the dangers of firearms. Every day I hear the media distort the truth in an effort to further their crusade against guns. Every day I read a story detailing the murder of innocent people. You, anti-gun America, twist these tragedies into proof of your cause. You claim that these lives would have been saved, if only we enacted more laws barring the possession of guns. If only we enacted more laws banning the ability of law-abiding citizens to carry guns. If only firearms were illegal, violence would cease to exist.
But, anti-gun America, do the facts really support your cause? Why does the District of Columbia, where virtually all firearms are banned, have some of the highest crime rates in our country? Why are high school and college campuses, where all guns are prohibited, so frequently the scenes of mass murder? Why are firearm related crimes so often committed in “gun free zones?”
Criminals are well aware of the laws, and are obviously not concerned about breaking them. A disturbed man, intent on killing his classmates, is not going to be deterred by a sign in front of his college campus that says “gun free zone.” An armed criminal is not going to be scared of a potential martial arts enthusiast. A determined criminal is not going to have respect for the law, nor does a suicidal criminal have any fear of armed police officers.
Criminals are well aware of the limitations of police. They know they will have free reign of the campus for at least five minutes before police will even get to them. In virtually all cases of mass homicide, the gunman took his own life in the end. Seung-Hui Cho knew it would be minutes before authorities would reach the Virginia Tech campus, and he knew he could kill many in that time. Under state and federal laws, Seung-Hui Cho was prohibited from even owning a weapon. Yet, he was not deterred.
So, anti-gun America, why do you suppose more laws would have stopped him? The only people gun laws affect are those willing to abide by them. Quite obviously, criminals have no respect for the law. The only effect restrictive gun laws have is negative. They either make it difficult or completely impossible for law abiding citizens to obtain a means of defense.
An eighteen year-old girl is unable to defend herself from an assailant intent on rape, because she is not old enough to carry a handgun, and too small to defend herself without one. A single mother of two, living in Illinois, would be helpless to an attack in the supermarket, because of the restrictive laws in her state. In many states, an armed man is not even allowed to shoot an intruder, even to save the lives of his wife and kids.
Why do I own a gun? Why would a poor college student, such as myself, spend his hard earned money on a gun? Why would a man who lives in a nice home, in a nice neighborhood sleep with a loaded gun next to his bed? Because I, like many others, refuse to be a statistic. I refuse to put myself in a situation where I would be helpless. I refuse to allow harm to come to me or my loved ones. I refuse to allow criminals free reign. I own a gun for the same reason I wear my seatbelt, not because I plan on needing it, but because the situation may arise where it will save my life.
Sincerely,
A Law-Abiding Gun Owner
No comments:
Post a Comment