John Stossel has a good article on one of my favorite topics -- Gun Control.
As Mr. Stossel points out, it is a myth that gun control legislation has done anything but prevent law abiding citizens from providing for their own protection.
In EVERY case where restrictions on citizens arming themselves have been loosened, the crime rate and the murder rate has gone DOWN, wherever the restrictions have been tightened, they have gone UP....just HOW can the advocates of gun control keep on trying the same thing over and over again and expect the results to be different?
Personally the only control I favor is ensuring that one can consistently hit what one aims at. When I was a teenager, it wasn't unusual to see a student coming into the high school with a rifle so that they could take advantage of the range they had in the basement for the ROTC classes. Any student could use the range at times that it wasn't being used for training classes, under the supervision of the range master (with prior approval and upon having completed a firearms safety course). We never had an incident of a student "going postal" and trying to wreak mayhem on the campus.
I firmly believe that firearms safety should be a required course for completion of a high school diploma. Famaliarity with firearms takes the mystery out of them and inculcates a healthy respect for what they can do. Firearms should be respected, not feared.
My ten year old daughter has already begun her introduction to the joys , and even more importantly, the responsibilities of shooting, and if early results are any indication, she will be quite the marksman by the time she enters high school. It is her responsibility as a productive, law-abiding citizen of our republic to be capable of responsibly bearing arms, in her own, and for the protection of that republic; and I intend to ensure that she is ready and capable of accepting that responsibility by the time she becomes an adult ready to go out on her own.
Posted by Delftsman3 at October 20, 2005 02:52 AM | TrackBackSomewhere out there a certain Mr. DuToit is doing the happy dance...
Posted by: Omnibus Driver at October 20, 2005 12:28 PMSir,
I tested at the highest proficiency one might qualify for in our military services on both the M16 and 50 cal machine gun. I grew up familiar with the "joy of guns"; I regularly hunted deer, duck, geese, grouse and pheasant.
Safe gun handling is a no-brainer while it is the case guns can freely exist in this society and in one's home. I'm quite happy that your daughter will have the benefit of gun safety training.
After all my own familiarization, I can freely share my firm belief, regarding both accidental & intential death by gunshot: "Guns don't kill people, people do...", however, I would add to the slogan,"...and a handy gun will certainly help along in the process."
If we all had similiar rights and access for keeping hand-grenades, nitroglycerine and bubonic plague in our nightstands, I'd likely feel the same way about those too.
The underlying premise that guns should be in either place, in the first place, is obviously dubious. I'd like to point out that important distinction.
Thanks
- Scott
Posted by: Scott at October 22, 2005 12:22 PM
Your arguments equating hand grenades, bubonic pague and nitro with guuns is specious on the face of it, and don't bear argument.
Availibility can be a factor in gun deaths it's true, but all the information availible seems to indicate that by far the greater number of INNOCENTS killed by guns occurs wherever the availibility is limited. It's a matter of which side of the equation suffers the greater rate of causelties, the law abiding, or the criminal. I side with those that believe that, ultimately, we are all responsible for our own self defense.
Don't get me wrong, I do believe that training is an essential factor in safe weapons ownership, but outlawing the law-abiding from owning weapons only serves to make them targets of opportunity by those that won't be unarmed, no matter WHAT restrictions you may try to pass.
Trying to regulate criminals with laws is a losing proposition.
Posted by: delftsman3 at October 22, 2005 08:45 PM