Honorable Senator/Representative
Suchandsuch,
As we all mourn the victims of Sandy
Hook massacre, before their blood is even dry, undoubtedly you will
be hearing vultures screeching for more gun control. Before you
succumb to your emotions, however, we, the rational, sane and safe
gun enthusiasts, would like you to consider the following statistics:
1.Some 20,000 existing gun laws [1] on
the books did not stop the shooter; there is no reason to believe
that an additional one or two or dozen will.
2.Since the beginning of the 20th
century and until the passage of the Gun-Free School Zones Act in
1990 there were 4 school massacres. Since 1990 there were 13 [2]. At
least, it indicates that the law is ineffective. At worst, it
encourages shootings, by providing safe hunting preserves for every
mentally disturbed and morally depraved character bent on murder.
3.In recent mass shooting incidents,
the average number of victims when a shooting was stopped by a police
was 14.3. On the other hand, when citizens were on hand to stop the
shooter, the average number of victims fell to about 2.3 [3]. Police
won't be there on time to protect the citizen.
4. The number of multiple-victim
shootings in various states dropped by 84%; the number of deaths
dropped by 90%, following adoption of concealed handgun laws [4].
Deterrence works.
5.Law abiding gun owners save almost
300,000 lives per year, thus providing a benefit of about
$1,000,000,000,000 to the broader society[5].
Therefore, we urge you to support the
following:
1.No new restrictions. At least 4 laws
violated in the recent incident failed to stop the shooter; by
definition, laws only stop the law-abiding ones.
2.Repeal of the Gun-Free School Zones
Act. As recent data show, it is at best useless.
3.Encouragement of a volunteer school
protection force by allowing trained and licensed school employees
access to self-defense tools. This approach works: Israel, a country
at war with a determined opponent, implemented it following Ma'alot
massacre and had not have one successful school shooting since 1974.
I am going to add a few personal lines
about being an American by choice that won't be applicable to many of
the readers, but feel free to re-use or re-write those points.
Opinions?
1.http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/fact-sheets/1999/federal-penalties-for-firearms-misuse.aspx
2.Calculated from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers:_School_massacres
3.http://www.saysuncle.com/2012/08/03/shooting-rampage-stats/
4.Lott, Wall Street Journal, March 27,
1998, available at http://www.fpaulvalone.com/Lott.html
5.http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/04/bruce-w-krafft/defensive-gun-uses-save-the-u-s-one-trillion-dollars-per-year/
Well said! --But will your Congresscritters listen? If they are antis or fencesitters, suggestion 3 (and in some cases, 2) will only make them ignore everything else you have written. Tailor the message to the Congressthing.
ReplyDeleteSpot on. However' I'd add to your list that the fact is The school a child is attending is personally responsible for the safety of that child while it is in their custody. All teachers should be required as a condition of employment to be well trained and proficient in the use of firearms and required to carry one on their person at all times while on the job. The School the teacher works for and the union for which the teacher pays dues will both carry insurance that will defend and protect teachers, God forbid, not if but when a teacher ever has to resort to using said weapon and training and provide any and all necessary counselling afterward. Otherwise, pretty good.
ReplyDelete