WorldNetDaily
Friday, October 27, 2000
BETWEEN THE LINES
More proof guns reduce crime
by Joseph Farah
The next time a politician suggests tougher government gun-control is needed to fight violent crime, look around and count his armed bodyguards.
While the calls for disarming average, taxpaying Americans have increased in recent years, the government expenditures on armed security for politicians and bureaucrats has increased dramatically.
Is what's good for the goose not so good for the gander?
If politicians believe we're safer with fewer guns around, why is it that they are increasing the number of armed federal police? Why is it that they are cordoning off government buildings? Why is it that they are beefing up armed guards in government buildings?
Easy. They know that they need guns to protect themselves against real threats and as a deterrent against criminals, terrorists and nuts.
Do the American people deserve any less? Do those who actually pay for the security of their government officials deserve to be disarmed to be left helpless before the threats they face in their own neighborhoods?
A new study by the U.S. Department of Justice shows gun-related crime has plunged 40 percent in recent years.
You might expect Attorney General Janet Reno and the other gun-grabbers to be celebrating this news and congratulating themselves for their efforts to reduce the number of guns in America.
But don't expect to see that reaction. The reason? Well, there are two, really.
No. 1, the gun-control fanatics know that they can only advance their agenda by convincing Americans that gun-related crime is exploding -- that your life and the lives of all your loved ones are endangered by the National Rifle Association and other groups defending the Second Amendment. Telling the truth is simply not an option. It seldom is for people whose entire movement is predicated on lies.
No. 2, the gun grabbers understand that this downward trend in gun-related crime took place as the actual number of guns in circulation has reached an all-time high. Let me repeat that: As gun-related deaths were dropping by 40 percent, the number of guns in circulation in America has increased to a record high.
Does this surprise you?
It shouldn't if you are familiar with the scholarly research conducted by John Lott and others that conclusively shows how more guns equals less crime.
The hard numbers released by the FBI show that gunshot wounds inflicted during crimes dropped from 64,100 in 1992 to 39,400 in 1997. During that same period, the number of guns in America surged to 230 million from 205 million, according to the National Association of Federally Licensed Firearms Dealers.
Crime would drop even faster if government officials began scrapping the 20,000 unconstitutional laws on the books regulating the purchase of firearms. There is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between restrictive gun laws and crime. The three most violent cities in America -- New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles -- all suffer under draconian gun-control laws that prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves.
All this raises the question: What is the purpose of anti-gun laws? What is the real agenda? Simple. It's government empowerment. Notice who are the prime agitators for more gun control. They are the same people who promote more government control over all facets of our lives -- education, health care, childcare, the economy. They seek, ultimately, the complete disarmament of the civilian population of the United States. They will never stop whining about gun violence until they pry the guns from our cold, dead fingers. Why? The government-control advocates want us to place our fate in the hands of the state. Our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor should be entrusted to the police for protection, they say. Truly, though, safety and security can only be achieved when individuals take responsibility for themselves.
Police are not really there "to protect and to serve." They are there to take reports and maintain files. And even that mission seems overwhelming to them at times.
All the police power and all the laws in the world will not make you, your family and your neighbors safe. Let's face it. The only thing that can offer you some protection is a well-regulated trigger finger and a good aim.
Why can't Americans see the obvious? Why don't they understand what our founders saw so clearly more than 200 years ago? The government, no matter how benign it may seem, is not your friend. It does not have your best interests in mind. Left to its own devices and unchecked by a vigilant population, governments will always seek more and more power.
Ultimately the only real check on that trend toward authoritarianism and totalitarianism is a well-armed, well-disciplined, well-informed citizenry.
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_btl/20001027_xcbtl_more_proof.shtml
Friday, October 27, 2000
BETWEEN THE LINES
More proof guns reduce crime
by Joseph Farah
The next time a politician suggests tougher government gun-control is needed to fight violent crime, look around and count his armed bodyguards.
While the calls for disarming average, taxpaying Americans have increased in recent years, the government expenditures on armed security for politicians and bureaucrats has increased dramatically.
Is what's good for the goose not so good for the gander?
If politicians believe we're safer with fewer guns around, why is it that they are increasing the number of armed federal police? Why is it that they are cordoning off government buildings? Why is it that they are beefing up armed guards in government buildings?
Easy. They know that they need guns to protect themselves against real threats and as a deterrent against criminals, terrorists and nuts.
Do the American people deserve any less? Do those who actually pay for the security of their government officials deserve to be disarmed to be left helpless before the threats they face in their own neighborhoods?
A new study by the U.S. Department of Justice shows gun-related crime has plunged 40 percent in recent years.
You might expect Attorney General Janet Reno and the other gun-grabbers to be celebrating this news and congratulating themselves for their efforts to reduce the number of guns in America.
But don't expect to see that reaction. The reason? Well, there are two, really.
No. 1, the gun-control fanatics know that they can only advance their agenda by convincing Americans that gun-related crime is exploding -- that your life and the lives of all your loved ones are endangered by the National Rifle Association and other groups defending the Second Amendment. Telling the truth is simply not an option. It seldom is for people whose entire movement is predicated on lies.
No. 2, the gun grabbers understand that this downward trend in gun-related crime took place as the actual number of guns in circulation has reached an all-time high. Let me repeat that: As gun-related deaths were dropping by 40 percent, the number of guns in circulation in America has increased to a record high.
Does this surprise you?
It shouldn't if you are familiar with the scholarly research conducted by John Lott and others that conclusively shows how more guns equals less crime.
The hard numbers released by the FBI show that gunshot wounds inflicted during crimes dropped from 64,100 in 1992 to 39,400 in 1997. During that same period, the number of guns in America surged to 230 million from 205 million, according to the National Association of Federally Licensed Firearms Dealers.
Crime would drop even faster if government officials began scrapping the 20,000 unconstitutional laws on the books regulating the purchase of firearms. There is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between restrictive gun laws and crime. The three most violent cities in America -- New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles -- all suffer under draconian gun-control laws that prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves.
All this raises the question: What is the purpose of anti-gun laws? What is the real agenda? Simple. It's government empowerment. Notice who are the prime agitators for more gun control. They are the same people who promote more government control over all facets of our lives -- education, health care, childcare, the economy. They seek, ultimately, the complete disarmament of the civilian population of the United States. They will never stop whining about gun violence until they pry the guns from our cold, dead fingers. Why? The government-control advocates want us to place our fate in the hands of the state. Our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor should be entrusted to the police for protection, they say. Truly, though, safety and security can only be achieved when individuals take responsibility for themselves.
Police are not really there "to protect and to serve." They are there to take reports and maintain files. And even that mission seems overwhelming to them at times.
All the police power and all the laws in the world will not make you, your family and your neighbors safe. Let's face it. The only thing that can offer you some protection is a well-regulated trigger finger and a good aim.
Why can't Americans see the obvious? Why don't they understand what our founders saw so clearly more than 200 years ago? The government, no matter how benign it may seem, is not your friend. It does not have your best interests in mind. Left to its own devices and unchecked by a vigilant population, governments will always seek more and more power.
Ultimately the only real check on that trend toward authoritarianism and totalitarianism is a well-armed, well-disciplined, well-informed citizenry.
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_btl/20001027_xcbtl_more_proof.shtml