An Argument Against Gun Control
...not keep guns out of criminals hands. Using FBI statistics accumulated on a country level, Lott shows that in state that have strict gun control laws, there are higher crime rates, and in states with liberal gun carry laws, there are much lower crime rates, every thirteen seconds an American gun owner uses a firearm in defense against a criminal. If gun control laws have any effect, it may be to increase crime, for instance, New Jersey adopted what sponsors described as “the most stringent gun law” in the nation in 1966; two years later the murder rate was up 46 percent and the reported robbery rate had nearly doubled. In 1968, Hawaii imposed a series of increasingly harsh measures and its murder rate, then a low 2.4 per 100,000 per year, tripled to 7.2 by 1977. In Florida the homicide rate dropped from 37 percent above the nation average to 3 percent below the nation average after the state changed its concealed carry law in 1987. In 1987, Florida’s murder rate was 11.4 per 100,000 compared with nation rate 8.2. By 1992, the nation rate had risen to 9.3 per 100,000 while Florida’s had dropped to 9, and in 1993, it continued to drop another .3 to 8.7 per 100,000. Between 1987 and 1992, rape increased nationally by 14.4 percent. But in Florida’s it only increased 2.9 percent and in 1993 rape in Florida decreased .2 percent. Florida issued 204,108 licenses during the first six- and – half- years that the law was in effect. Only seventeen licenses have been revoked for unlawful conduct that involved possession of firearm that is .008 percent. That means eight thousands of 1 percent. It every law ever passed had that kind of success rate; we would have virtually NO CRIME! Today’s citizens believe people must take more responsibility for their own protection. They reject government intrusion on basic civil rights, gun ownership and the media’s display of violence. There is a pervasive willingness to forgive those who commit serious crimes motivated by the lawless who lack compelling excuses and little mercy is shown.( Penn and Schoen Associates, Inc., did a second comprehensive survey of public attitudes toward crime in the past five years. American made it clear they are not willing to neither sit back and become victims nor allow the government to tamper with their civil liberties!: 75 percent agreed that police and the justice system can not protect them, people said they have to take more responsibility for safeguarding themselves. As many as 85 percent said they are unwilling to forfeit basic civil liberties even if could enhance personal safety. 62 percent said the need for guns is increasing, and a majority is unwilling to accept laws that restrict gun ownership greatly. 89 percent subscribe to the “mother lion defense” the saying would find it compelling if mother tried to excuse a serious crime by saying she was trying to protect her children from an abusive father. More than 75 percent support “Three Strikes you are out” proposals and want violent three time offenders behind bars for life.)Respondents were unmoved by criticism that older criminals would be kept behind bars, at taxpayer expense, though they may have been rendered relatively harmless by age. The message is “ do the crime- do the time.” American want violent criminals off the streets and out of their neighborhood, the bottom line is Americans are upset about crime and soundly reject government solution that ...