GUN RIGHTS:
Be wary of making laws since good people don't need 'em and bad people don't heed 'em. Gun control is basically victim disarmament since only law-abiding citizens get rid of guns which makes them sitting ducks for criminals who know crime is easier with these persons unable to resist strongly.
As a rather small female, my only hope of leveling the playing field against a stronger criminal is a weapon more powerful than myself. I resent the attempts by those who think they are doing good but who, in essence, tie the hands of society's most helpless citizens:women, elderly,handicapped, and those in neighborhoods with slow police response time.
1) "The Constitution shall never be construed...to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Samuel Adams
2) "Can our form of government, our system of justice, survive if one can be denied a freedom because he might abuse it." - Harlon Carter
3) "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty or Safety." - Benjamin Franklin
GOOD GUNS:
1) There are different stats, but estimates range from 85,000 to 2 millions cases of guns preventing crimes in the US annually.
2) Current laws allow significant punishment for those who allow juveniles access to guns. The reluctance of the Clinton administration to demand the necessary enforcement of these laws make it appear that their campaign for more laws is just grandstanding publicity stunts.
3) Those who really care about kids know these laws don't help and may limit the protection of children when crimes do occur.
BUY-BACK PROGRAM:
1) These are basically public-relation stunts that have zero impact on crime.
2) Those most likely to turn in guns are law-abiding citizens, usually women and elderly, Society's weakest and most targeted victims (in other words, those least likely to use a gun in a crime).
3) Those least likely to turn in guns are criminals. Those that do are usually trading them in for money for bigger, better guns which, in essence, makes it into fencing operations for criminals.
4) The average buy-back program removes just 1/5% of the guns from circulation according to Gary Kleck, Florida State University criminologist.
5) Of the $15 million ear-marked by the government in 1999 for these programs, $1 million will go to study the effectiveness of the program. That means they will spend $1 million to find out if they wasted $14 million. How efficient.
6) If you think guns should be regulated because they're a more powerful weapon, consider that a man ran his car into a school building killing more students in one incident than all the other school shootings.
If the mentally ill realized the damage they could do with the accessible auto, we wouldn't calculate the carnage.
CARRY CONCEAL:
1) As a 5'2" female, I would likely lose if confronted by an attacker without something stronger than my own physical strength.
2) If he sees my weapon, he may use it against me. My only hope is to set up a scenario wherein I can surprise him and have the gun at my immediate disposal. Each law-abiding citizen should be free to take the risk that such a scenario entails if they so choose.
3) As for the argument that criminals would carry conceal weapons if this were to pass...read my lips.... criminals don't obey laws and they already carry concealed weapons. This simply allows those who won't disobey such laws the freedom to level the playing field if they choose to.
4) It is a throw of a dice in any scenario as to how it will actually happen. The most any person can do is to minimize the likelihood of being harmed by being cautious and prepared.
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILTY:
1) According to the National Safety Council, there were about 30 fatal gun deaths in 1995 among children aged 0-4, and less than 40 for kids aged 5-9. This shows that without legislation the overwhelming numbers of parents already practice safe gun habits.
2) The number of toddlers who die from gun accidents is fewer than the number who die from drowning in buckets and much lower than the 500 who die in swimming pools. If we're truly concerned for the safety of our children, we need to find solutions to all these problems. Education, not legislation is the answer.
3) The main reason there are accidents concerning children and guns is the inability of mothers to teach their children not to touch forbidden items. Shall we restrict ineffective mothers?
4) The best way to mimize accidents is with public service messages via the media. Any agency that is truly concerned with the safety of children should put its money and effort into these areas of prevention.
For more information contact: Ohioans for Carry Conceal www.gunsafetyohio.org
For True Gun Safety
www.eaglepak.org