"Just the facts" on Gun Control. For
example:
• In the early/mid 1990's, criminals on parole or early release from prison
committed about 5,000 murders, 17,000 rapes, and 200,000 robberies a year.
• Americans use firearms to defend themselves from criminals about 760,000 times
a year. This figure is the lowest among a group of 15 nationwide polls
done by organizations including Gallup and the Los Angeles Times.
• Approximately 11% of gun owners and 13% of handgun owners have used
their firearms for protection from criminals.
• When citizens use guns for protection from criminals, the criminal is wounded
in about 1 out of every 100 instances, and the criminal is killed
in about 1 out of every 1000 instances.
• Washington D.C. enacted a virtual ban on handguns in 1976. Between 1976
and 1991, Washington D.C.'s homicide rate rose 200%, while the U.S. rate rose 12%.
Excellent! How to Recognize a Skunk: Reading the morning paper,
you come across a wire-service article on a subject you know well -- guns. The article is filled with
biased language ("gun violence," "spraying bullets" "million moms") and statistics that are either made up or
cooked from highly unscientific methodology ("12 students killed by guns every day," "43 times more likely
to be killed by a gun in your own home"). How do we tell truth from fiction, or recognize when half-truths
and twisted language are being used to manipulate us, without spending our lives tracking down every obscure
databit or factoid behind every news story?
So You're Thinking of Buying a Gun. With
all the unease in the country since 9-11, that isn't surprising. Many people are buying guns; they're
doing so to be able to protect themselves and loved ones. It's not a bad idea, but before you make that
move, you should learn as much as you can about guns so you can make an informed choice.
Gun Facts is a
free e-book that debunks common myths about gun control. It is intended as a reference guide for
journalists, activists, politicians, and other people interested in restoring honesty to the debate about
guns, crime, and the 2nd Amendment.
Nine Myths About Gun Control: Gun bans
result in lower gun suicide rates, but a compensatory increase in suicide from other accessible and lethal
means of suicide. The net result of gun bans? No reduction in total suicide rates. People
who are intent in killing themselves find the means to do so. Are other means of suicide so much more
politically correct that we should focus on measures that decrease gun suicide, but do nothing to reduce
total suicide deaths?
Fifteen Myths about Gun Control: Firearms are used
to commit as many as 650,000 crimes each year. But firearms are also used to prevent crimes as many as
one million times each year. In fact, criminals are three times more likely to be killed by
armed victims who resist them than by the police. Would tougher gun control laws make our lives
safer? Fair appraisal of the issue requires us to put aside some common myths.
So You've Bought Yourself a
Gun. would you buy a new car without knowing how to use it, or planning to learn how? Would
you buy a computer, or any complex tool, and toss it and the owner's manual in a corner until you absolutely
need to use it, and had to use it well?
The
Bias Against Guns: Why Almost Everything You've Heard About Gun Control Is Wrong, by John R. Lott.
Suggested
Reading: Huge collection of material related to firearms issues.
The Bible and self-defense:
The Bible couldn't be clearer on the right — even the duty — we have as believers to self-defense.
7 dead, no guns: While
I do not seek to politicize this tragedy, someone needs to point out the obvious. Men are capable of
great evil — even mass murder — without the benefit of firearms. This incident
should serve to remind us of that fact.
Right of Refusal: If your doctor starts
pestering you about guns, you have several options.
How to Stop Shooting Sprees, by
Morgan Reynolds, director of the Criminal Justice Center at the National Center for Policy Analysis.
Deaths and Injuries From Guns
Decline in U.S.Deaths from firearms declined 29 percent and injuries by 47 percent between 1993 and 1998,
the latest year for which figures are available.
Guns: The great
equalizer. The old saying goes that God made men, but Sam Colt made them equal. Col. Samuel
Colt's revolver continues to serve as an equalizer. Being bigger, tougher and meaner than the next guy
may not mean [anything] if the next guy carries a .357 in his waistband.
One Man's Opinion: Darrell
Scott — The father of Rachel Scott, one of the students murdered at Columbine High School, offers a
moving testimony to the House Subcommittee on Crime.
The
Best Defense: The basic premise of this book is: defensive use of firearms
is not just for the military and police; it is for every citizen confronted or assaulted
by violent criminals violating their personal and property rights. This book contains
numerous examples of citizens who used firearms to save their own lives, or the lives
of others, before law enforcement arrived.
More
Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws by
John R. Lott Jr. Does allowing people to own or carry guns deter violent crime? To
provide the answer to this question, criminal deterrence, law, and economics professor
John R. Lott. Jr. has made an exhaustive study of crime statistics and
compressed his findings into a single, manageable volume. His conclusion will confirm
the beliefs of those who defend the Second Amendment.
Gun
laws of America: Every
federal gun law on the books — with plain English summaries.
The
UN Plan to Disarm Civilians: In "Global Gun Grab", William Norman Grigg
exposes the UN's worldwide campaign to eliminate civilian ownership of firearms and
explains the dangers facing Americans.
That Every Man be
Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right. Stephen Halbrook traces
the origins of the Second Amendment back to ancient Greece and Rome, and then through the "freemen"
movement in 18th century England and France. He demonstrates that the framers of the
U.S. Constitution were conscious of such history when they drafted the Second Amendment, and
that the Second Amendment was clearly intended to allow possession of firearms not just for
defense of personal life and property but also to prevent government infringement
of human liberties.
Civilian Disarmament: Prelude to Tyranny. The historical record clearly shows that
civilian disarmament has been a precursor to tyranny and genocide. This is the grim reality that lurks
behind the phrase "gun control." This video lays out the facts concerning the ongoing drive by the
federal government and the UN for civilian disarmament, and explains how you can help prevent America's
descent into police state tyranny.
