Arms as Insurance

[dZ]

found this great essay:
Arms as Insurance http://www.i2i.org/SuptDocs/Crime/ArmsAsInsurance.htm
By Samuel C. Wheeler III, Department of Philosophy, University of Connecticut



“…One of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular
and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms….”1 Hubert Humphrey



On September 11, 1997, Charlton Heston addressed the National Press Club.2 His speech argued that the right to bear arms is the fundamental right. His speech made it clear that what he meant was
that gun-ownership rights are a condition of the practical existence of other rights. Because he was speaking as new president of the National Rifle Association, and because his conclusion differed
from journalistic fashion, the arguments and considerations he suggested for this view were dismissed by news accounts. Those accounts focused on finding it ridiculous that someone who had played
Moses in the Ten Commandments might have something intelligent to say.3

In this essay, I argue that there are very good arguments for Heston’s position that deserve the attention of philosophers, politicians, and people who care about the welfare of their
great-grandchildren and other future human beings.4

continues...

 

[dZ]

this is good stuff too!
http://www.i2i.org/SuptDocs/Crime/OverlookedFacts.htm
Some Frequently Overlooked Facts
in Gun Policy Discussions

1. Guns save lives.

People who defend strict gun regulation with the claim that it will save lives ignore the fact that innocent civilians use guns 2.2 to 2.5 million times a year to protect themselves from criminals intent on
burglary, assault, and robbery. Defensive gun is particularly important for those who live in poorly policed low-income inner-city neighborhoods and in rural areas with no police. For every anecdote
about how a criminal used a gun to shoot someone there are five about how a private citizen used a gun to defend himself. People who support gun control support stripping millions of Americans of
the ability to defend themselves.

As Table 1 shows, the number of people killed by firearms injuries is small in comparison to defensive uses. Note that the claims that thousands of children die from firearms injuries each year are true
only if one considers homicidal 15-24 year olds "children" Note also that police in stressful situations kill as many as 330 innocent people a year.

Most of the proposed "safe storage" measures can be defeated by 15 year olds, making it unlikely that such requirements would have much effect on suicides or homicides in older age groups.
Counterbalancing any gains from "safe storage" would be the deaths and injuries likely to result when people are hurt or killed because they no longer have a gun available for self-defense.


2. Legislation making it riskier, more expensive, or more difficult for people to use guns in defense of their homes or their persons will likely result in more people being assaulted,
raped, and killed by criminals.

Armed citizens deter crime because criminals, like everyone else, prefer to avoid getting shot. A 1986 survey of convicted felons in the United States by Wright and Rossi found its subjects more
worried about running into an armed victim than into police. In the U.S., where homeowners may have guns, fewer than 13% of U.S. burglaries occur when a home is occupied. In England, where
government confiscates private guns, almost 50% of burglaries occur when homes are occupied, increasing the chance of injury or death.