GUN CONTROL
Strict gun control increases violent crime
To persuade my listeners that strict gun control laws are counter-productive.
I. Introduction
On Jan. 16, 2002, Peter Odighizuwa, a 43-year-old student from Nigeria, walked into the Appalachian School of Law offices of Dean Anthony Sutin, 42, a
former acting assistant U.S. attorney, and professor Thomas Blackwell, 41, and opened fire with a .380 ACP semi-automatic handgun – shooting them at
close range.
Also killed in the same building was student Angela Denise Dales, 33. Three others were wounded.
As soon as the gunfire erupted, two students acting independently of one another, Tracy Bridges and Mikael Gross, ran to their vehicles to retrieve
firearms. Gross, an off-duty police officer in his home state of North Carolina, got his 9mm pistol and body armor. Bridges got out his .357 Magnum.
Bridges and Gross went back to the building where the shots were heard and as Odighizuwa exited, they approached from different angles. Bridges yelled
for him to drop his weapon and the shooter was subdued by several unarmed students.
Gross went back to his car and got handcuffs to detain the shooter until police arrived.
Most news reports of the incident failed to mention the presence of two armed students and their role in subduing the shooter, saying only that he was
tackled by bystanders.
Odighizuwa was tried for the murders and sentenced to multiple life terms in prison.
Virginia Tech, like many of the nation's schools and college campuses, is a so-called "gun-free zone," which Second Amendment supporters say
invites gun violence – especially from disturbed individuals seeking to kill as many victims as possible.
Foreign-born student Cho Seung-Hui murdered 32 and wounded another 15 before turning his gun on himself.
A year earlier, the Virginia legislature banned all guns on campus in the interest of safety.
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April 22, 2007 © 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
Colleges to allow guns on campus?
Arizona lawmakers hope to stem the wave of unarmed students killed in campus slayings through a plan that would let adults carry firearms onto the
grounds of the state's universities.
Utah and several local jurisdictions scattered around the U.S. already allow people with a license to carry their weapons onto campuses.
Nevada also has considered a plan to allow teachers to be armed, and South Carolina, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio are looking at plans similar to
Arizona's.
March 03, 2008 © 2008 WorldNetDaily
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Today, I would like to look at some statistics from Washington D.C., Florida and Australia.
From my research and my personal experience, I have come to the conclusion that strict gun control laws are counter-productive.
Let’s start by looking at my personal experience.
II. Shortly after I got out of the Marine Corps in 1988, I woke up to 2 men trying to steal the tires off of my car (1974 Triumph Spitfire) I came out
the door with a shotgun and made them lay on the ground and yelled for my wife to call the police. They were arrested and went to jail for attempted
robbery. No shots fired.
Now let’s look at my research results.
In 1976 Washington D.C. enacted a virtual ban on handguns. Between 1976 and 1991, Washington D.C.'s homicide rate rose 200%, while the U.S. rate
rose 12%.
More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws ISBN:0226493644 by John R. Lott Jr.
Florida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987
Florida United States
homicide rate -36% -0.4%
firearm homicide rate -37% +15%
handgun homicide rate -41% +24%
Australia in 1996 enacted a total ban on all personal firearms, including semi-automatic .22 rifles and shotguns.
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OBSERVABLE FACT AFTER 12 MONTHS OF DATA
• Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2%.
• Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6%.
• Australia-wide, armed-robberies are up 44%. (yes, FORTY-FOUR PERCENT)
• In the state of Victoria, homicides-with-firearms are up 300%!
• The steady decrease in homicides-with-firearms that occurred during the previous 25 years became an increase in the last 12 months.
• The steady decrease in armed-robbery-with-firearms that occurred during the previous 25 years became an increase in the last 12 months.
• There has been a dramatic increase in breakins-and-assaults-of-the-elderly.
• At the time of the ban, the Prime Minister said "self-defense is not a reason for owning a firearm".
• From 1910 to present, homicides in Australia have averaged about 1.8-per-100,000 or lower, a safe society by any standard.
• The ban has destroyed Australia's standings in some international sport shooting competitions.
• The membership of the Australian Sports Shooting Association has increased by 200% in response to the ban and in an attempt to organize against
further controls, which are expected.
• Australian politicians are on the spot and at a loss to explain why no improvement in "safety" has been observed after such monumental effort
and expense was successfully expended in "ridding society of guns". Their response has been to "wait longer".
What do these statistics show?
When people have guns and the right to protect themselves, it is less likely criminals will attack or injure them.
Criminals prefer unarmed victims.
The police cannot be everywhere. It is your responsibility to defend yourself and any others you see in danger.
We have looked at statistics for Washington D.C., Florida and Australia.
Conclusion
While pro-gun control advocates may believe they are improving safety, they are actually depriving honest people of the ability to defend themselves
against criminals. Evidence shows that Increases in gun control have a direct connection to increases in violent crime rates (including rape).
A 1985 study by the National Institute for Justice shows criminals fear the armed citizen more than they fear the police.
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REFERENCES
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www.nraila.org...
More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws ISBN:0226493644 by John R. Lott Jr.
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