The Truth Is Everything

"I am nothing, truth is everything."
Abraham Lincoln

This Page Last Updated 05/07/2008

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
Plato (429-347 BC)

Even in this "Information Age", I find so many mistruths, misconceptions and some outright lies concerning the issues of concealed carry, accidental discharges and the total failures of gun control to affect the criminal mind and the career criminal's access to guns.

"The spirit of truth and the spirit of freedom -- they are the pillars of society."
Henrik Ibsen  (1828-1906)  Source: Pillars of Society, 1877

There are many issues related to firearms that have a lot of misinformation written about them in the media and on the Internet.  I will try to straighten out the kinks.

Before I get to the fifteen topics I have listed below, I have something to say about gun control laws in general.

Laws are passed to help control the actions of those who are willing or inclined to do unethical and immoral things for monetary or personal gain.

The decent, honest, caring and upright citizens need no laws to make them behave in a civil and courteous manner.  The citizen who conducts his/her life within moral and religious boundaries set forth by the Ten Commandments of God, needs no law to keep from doing wrong.

Since laws are intended to control the misdeeds of the unscrupulous, why do most gun control laws curtail the ownership, use, carry, sale and transportation of lawfully owned firearms?  Most traditional gun control laws affect only those who obey the law in the first place.  That is a wrong-headed approach.

The bottom line is the fact that upright and righteous gun owners don't commit crimes, so why are we subjected to laws that are designed to control the unscrupulous violent criminal thug?  The honest gun owner needs no such laws and the violent criminal thug obeys no such laws.

The focus upon violent crime MUST be taken off of the firearms and onto the violent criminal thug.  Laws meant to reduce acts of violence committed with firearms must specifically punish the criminal for possessing a gun or using a gun during the commission of their criminal activity.

Furthermore, actual sources of guns that are used during the commission of a crime should be focused upon, rather than focusing restrictive legislation upon all gun sales that include the law abiding, upright and honest citizen. 

The average American citizen gets all their firearm knowledge from the media, the movies and Saturday morning cartoons.  These are not the best sources of truthful and accurate information about firearms.

I get very agitated when the evening news on any major network, morning talk shows and afternoon talk shows, come out with some off the wall, left wing bozo as an expert on gun control, who wouldn't know the difference between an ejector rod and a sear.

Whenever the television shows come out with a gun control advocate, it is very clear that the person knows nearly nothing about firearms, how they operate, their capabilities and their limitations and I end up yelling at the television in frustration.

This is my opportunity to get out the truth.

Bookmarked subjects on this page:

Firearm Accidents

There seems to me to be quite a bit of misinformation about accidental deaths that occur because of the mishandling of a loaded firearm.

The decline in accidental deaths related to firearms is truly one of the greatest success stories of all, yet the myth persists.

Gun accidents have declined 91%, even though the number of firearms in the country has more than quintupled!!!!

The evening news and the newspapers always sensationalize a tragic accidental death.  This sensationalism makes it seem like unintentional death with a gun is a leading cause of death.

THE TRUTH

The highest rate of accidental death involving firearms occurred in the year 1903.  FIREARM ACCIDENTS HAVE DECREASED NINETY ONE PERCENT (-91%) SINCE THEN.

Since 1930, the United States population has more than doubled.  The number of firearms in U.S. homes has quintupled.  Firearm accidents have DECREASED IN THIS SAME TIME PERIOD BY SEVENTY THREE PERCENT (-73%).

In recent years, the decline in firearm accidents has been even more pronounced.  From 1989 to 1998, these accidents with firearms decreased 42%.

There have been all-time lows in gun accidents recorded in 16 of the last 20 years and 2004 is reported to have had the lowest number of accidental gun related deaths ever.

Currently the rate of accidental deaths involving firearms is at 0.4% of all deaths.  More children choke to death on pencils and drown in buckets of water, than die from the mishandling of a gun.  And that's the truth.  Like it or not.

Gun accidents can be totally, unequivocally and absolutely eliminated forever, if only everyone would read the following two (2) pages and obey everything on them.  And that is the truth.

I am a Certified Firearm Instructor and I wrote everything on this Web site myself.  I know of which I speak.  Unlike most of the media talking heads.  Please see my two most popular pages on the subject of gun safety.

Safety Rules

For Kids Only

Concealed Carry

There seems to be a commonly held myth that allowing concealed carry in public is a dangerous policy.  This is indeed not the case at all.

Many anti-gun advocates erroneously predicted that allowing law abiding gun owners to freely obtain concealed carry permits, would lead to gun fights in the streets.  They said it would lead to an escalation of minor arguments into gun fights in our neighborhoods.

The truth is that just the opposite has happened.  Wherever "Shall Issue" concealed carry laws have been adopted, crime involving firearms has decreased.  Sometimes, this decrease has been dramatic, sometimes the decrease has been slight, but crime has almost never risen after "Shall Issue" concealed carry laws were adopted.

"Shall Issue" concealed carry, means that the local licensing agency will issue the concealed carry permit, as long as the applicant does not have any criminal record.

There are now 38 of the 50 States that allow law abiding Citizens to freely carry concealed firearms.  At least two (2) of these even allows concealed carry with only a driver's license that shows your age of at least 21 years.

I find it interesting to note that according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, the states that allow lawful Citizens to carry concealed are the states with the lowest number of violent crimes.

For example, the state of Vermont, where one only has to have a clean record and be at least 21 years old to carry a concealed gun, has 22 times fewer incidence of violent crime per 100,000 Citizens than Washington D.C., which has had a total ban on firearms since the mid-seventies.

In More Guns, Less Crime (1998), the University of Chicago’s John Lott examined the impact of concealed carry permits. Using data from all 3,054 U.S. counties between 1977 and 1992, he found that after controlling for other factors, concealed handgun laws reduce murder by 8.5 percent, rape by 5 percent and assaults by 7 percent.

More Guns, Less Crime by John R. Lott

Gun Show Sales

There is a pervasive rumor going around, that gun shows are actually arms bazaars for street thugs.  Again, this is a falsehood that really needs a big dose of truth.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."
Aldous Huxley  (1894-1963) Author

The truth is so very important to an issue like this one.  There is a wide array of bills that are using up the valuable time and resources of our Congress and our state legislatures for absolutely nothing!!!

These bills seem to be aimed at a long time goal of anti-gun advocates.  Namely banning the sale of all firearms between law-abiding and honest individuals.

Remember that since the Gun Control Act of 1968, it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm in any way whatsoever.

Federal law already requires background checks on anyone who buys a firearm from dealers at gun shows.  Federal law already imposes a 10-year prison sentence on criminals who even attempt to buy guns, at gun shows or anywhere else for that matter.

A National Institute of Justice study of convicted felons in state prisons found that criminals bought firearms at gun shows so rarely that it was not possible to even report those sales as a separate category.

The U.S. Department of Justice released a study of 18,000 state prison inmates that showed only 0.7% of guns used in crime were originally purchased at gun shows.

Many of these firearms used in criminal activity, were bought through a "straw purchase".  A "straw purchase" is where a legal gun buyer illegally acting as a surrogate for the criminal, purchases a gun for them.  This act in itself is unlawful and is punishable by prison time.

In fact 86.2% of guns used by convicted state inmates were not even obtained at a retail level, but rather through friends, family and illegal sources.  Only 13.8% of the guns used in crime were bought at all nationwide retail outlets COMBINED.

Federal law requires that any person who is engaged in the business of selling firearms, must have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and conduct the NICS background checks.

The "unlicensed dealers" at gun shows are normally those who sell books, clothing, videotapes, knives, holsters and other equipment.

Individuals who occasionally sell or trade firearms from their personal collections, need not be licensed.  Neither are they required to conduct an NICS background check.  This is true whether the sale occurs at home, at a range, gun club or anywhere else.

Occasional and irregular sales of firearms between friends and family should not be banned or heavily regulated.  These types of sales have been going on since the 1300's.

Felons are already prohibited from possessing firearms.  Burdening the honest and obedient gun owner will not prevent felons from buying illegal guns.  And that's the truth.

Guns "Going Off"

There is still quite a bit of misconception still floating around about stories of guns "going off" by themselves.

Let me make this truth perfectly clear:

Firearms do not fire by themselves!!!

I hope that was clear enough.  Guns do not and cannot simply "go off" by themselves.  That is the same as insinuating that a book of matches caused a building to burn down all by themselves.  It would also be the same thing as putting blame on a pencil for a misspelled word.

Guns need human interaction in order to work.  Wouldn't it be nice if the kitchen floor would wax itself, or a load of laundry would wash and dry itself?  The gun will never work without someone firing it.

On the news, I occasionally will see someone charged with a criminal act, trying to convince the Assistant District Attorney or the jury that the gun he had in his possession just "went off by itself".

Again, I find myself hollering at the television in frustration.

A gun is only a machine that is used to store, aim and launch ammunition.  It launches a small piece of metal (bullet) at very high speed.  The human being interacting with the gun is the one that determines why, when and where this bullet goes.

Guns Don't "Go Off" During Cleaning

I have heard a few times on television and in newspapers that after a shooting in a home, the shooter claims that the gun fired when he was cleaning it.

Again, let me reiterate what I have already said.  Guns do not fire without first being loaded with ammunition, all safeties (if they exist) being switched off and the trigger being pulled.

The claim that a "gun fired while I was cleaning it" is total bull crap.  If it indeed was an accident, what happened was the trigger was pulled on a loaded gun, when you didn't intend to fire it.  Period.  And that's the truth.

The very first step in cleaning a gun is to open the action.  This very first step in cleaning would prevent a gun from being fired.  Upon the opening of the action, if the gun was mistakenly left loaded, it would become evident at that point. Then the gun should be unloaded and the ammunition should be removed from the area.  Problem solved.

After the action is open, the second step would be to push a solvent soaked brush down the length of the barrel.  You cannot do this if the gun is loaded and is a semi-automatic.  If the gun is a revolver, the excuse really doesn't hold water, because the cartridge would be readily visible within the open cylinder.

The excuse that the gun fired when I was cleaning it, is a total line of BS.  The police know this, the Assistant District Attorneys know this, firearm instructors and gun enthusiasts know this, but much of the general public does not.

When the news reports that a gun fired while it was being cleaned, the public at large just swallows that misrepresentation as the truth.

The truth on this one, is that the shooter pulled the trigger of a loaded gun.

The gun cannot fire simply from being cleaned.  And that is the truth.

The Wild, Wild West

There is a pervasive misconception about western and mid-western cities of the late 1800's.  This misconception is widely held and I would like to dispel this rumor right here.

There certainly was a certain degree of violence among the people living in the West during the later half of the 19th century, but the majority of these were due to clashes with Indian tribes, bandit gangs and foreign nations.

From 1870 to 1885, the rates of violent acts were higher in the major cities of the East than those of the West.  Areas of the Mid-West and West were much safer and much more civilized, in general than we are today.

For example, in the populated cities of Virginia City, Nevada, Leadville, Colorado and Dallas, Texas, there were no recorded homicides at all, despite a high rate of gun ownership.

In these same 15 years (1870 to 1885) there were an average of three (3) homicides per year in the major railroad cities of Abilene, Dodge City, Wichita, Caldwell and Ellsworth.

In fact, Dodge City, Kansas, the subject of many movie "Westerns" only exceeded five (5) shooting deaths in a single year (1876).

The misperception that these cities were seedbeds of hundreds of gun fights a month, comes from people watching too many movies and too much television.

The truth of the matter is that there was not very much ordinary street crime in the "Wild, Wild West" because a high portion of the public at large, freely carried firearms.  And what sane person is going to rob a country store, when the proprietor is carrying a Colt Single Action Army pistol on his hip?

The truth is told.

Lawful Gun Owners

I realize that this may very well be pointless to state, but I feel like I must do so anyway.

Gun control laws are observed and obeyed by gun owners who by their very nature abide by the law.  These lawful firearm owners do not commit any crimes.  In fact 99.8% of all firearms in America are not used to commit any crimes in any given year.

My question to the anti-gun activist is; if lawful, honest and upright gun owners do not commit any crime, then why is gun control legislation aimed at law-abiding gun owners?  This is a question we all would like to have answered.

We realize that lawful gun owners don't commit crime, but what can be done?

Simple answer.  Listen up America.  We simply add strict penalties onto a crime wherever a firearm is present or used.  For example.  If a career criminal commits a robbery and has a firearm with him, but does not brandish it, add five (5) years without parole onto the robbery sentence.

If he brandishes the firearm during the commission of that robbery, he gets ten (10) years added on to the original sentence.

If he fires the gun during the commission of the robbery, he gets fifteen (15) years of prison time added to his sentence.

If he injures OR kills somebody during the commission of that crime with the firearm, he gets twenty (20) years of prison time added to the sentence.

This added prison time would be "real time" of course.  No "good behavior", no early release, no parole, no BS.  This prison time MUST BE ADDED to the criminal's sentence if he chooses a firearm to commit a crime with.  That is the ONLY WAY.

Remember one thing, law abiding gun owners do not commit any crimes.  And that's the truth.

Afraid Of Guns?

Human beings have always feared the unknown.  It is a completely natural phenomenon.  Fear of the unknown is one of the foundations of the human psyche that has perpetuated the human race for quite a while now.

Most people who are not completely familiar with firearms, get most of their knowledge from television dramas, movies, the evening news and Saturday morning cartoons.  These are not the best sources of truth concerning firearms.

We have grown up watching cheesy detective shows on television where the hero fires a .38 special snub-nose revolver at the bad guy's car and the car explodes and jumps fifteen (15) feet into the air.

The truth is that the small hole that the detective's gun would have put in the radiator is quite unimpressive.  So the show's creators plant explosive charges in the vehicle and have the car hit a ramp at the same time for the dramatic result.

When we grow up watching this farce on television, it is no wonder that there is a pervasive fear of firearms in America.  This irrational and yet pervasive fear of firearms is so prevalent that it even has a name.  It's called Hoplophobia.  It is a general, yet irrational fear of guns.

A firearm is simply a device that stores and discharges a small piece of metal at very high speed.  It does nothing without human interaction.  And it will NOT make a vehicle jump into the air and explode into a fireball.

What we MUST DO  is to replace fear of firearms with knowledge.  Once we are familiar with the true capabilities of guns along with their limitations and understand how they work, we can substitute irrational fear with confident knowledge.

If you are one of those people who are afraid of guns, you too can replace this fear with knowledge.  Call your local gun club and sign up for their next basic gun safety and education course.  The fee is usually less than forty dollars ($40) and some clubs even will teach you for free, if you become a member.

There has never been an accidental death at an NRA Basic Firearm Education course.  The National Rifle Association has been teaching firearm safety and marksmanship since 1871 and I have been certified by them to teach those courses.

My opinion is that most gun control advocates actually have a senseless fear of guns.  This fear gradually develops into enmity or animosity.  This hatred of guns is the only foundation that gun control activists stand on.  Because they certainly don't stand upon truth or common sense.

Self-Defense
VS 
Crime

Because of the pervasive misinformation about guns used in crime and guns used for self-defense, I feel I really must make this point crystal clear.

Guns are used more than two hundred twenty times (220X) more for self-defense, than for murdering people in the United States.

Furthermore, firearms are used more than five times (5X) more for self-defense than for committing crime with.

This is a pretty well-known fact, that the leftist and elitist media seems quite content to ignore.

According to one of the most comprehensive studies done on guns and crime, Americans use firearms approximately 6845 times per day for self-defense.  That works out to approximately two and a half million (2,500,000) defensive uses of firearms per year.

In 2001, according to the National Safety Council, there was 11,348 homicides committed with firearms.

Let's analyze the facts:

1. 31.09 murders are committed with firearms everyday.

2. 6844.62 times a day, firearms are used for self-defense.

3. Firearms are used 220.15 times more for self-defense than for murder.

In about 14 out of 15 instances of self-defense, the defender's gun is not fired.

When confronted with an armed and determined potential victim, the criminal will back off about 93% of the time.  According to most studies done on the subject, the criminal will retreat in at least 9 out of 10 instances.  But don't fool yourself, today's street savvy punks will smell your fear like a dog and will attack you, if they feel you are reluctant to fire on them to save yourself or your family.

These self-defense instances include protection from animal attacks, store robberies, rapes, home invasions and others.

Americans utilize self-defense with their firearms about 2.5 million times a year, while murders committed with guns, don't exceed 1/250th of that total.

And that is the truth!!!

How about it, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, let's tell the truth for a change, and not cloak the facts with emotionalism and elitist "political correctness".

The Second Amendment

The Second Amendment

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Without much doubt, I think the issue that needs the most clarification is the original intention and meaning of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution which is embodied in the Bill of Rights.

Please feel free to visit my "Links" page and take a look at all the Second Amendment links I have listed there.  Those sites go much deeper into the Right To Keep And Bear Arms than I will here.

Quite a few uninformed people think that the Second Amendment refers to the National Guard's right to have firearms.  This erroneous misconception seems to be prevalent in many political roundtable talks.

The National Guard was created by the Militia Act of 1903, this act is also known as the "Dick Act" after its author.  Subsequent national defense acts brought the National Guard under control of each State and then under control of the Federal Government.

The National Guard was formed 116 years after the Second Amendment was ratified.

The argument from the anti-gun side that the first part of the Second Amendment refers to the National Guard holds no water at all.  That is because when the Second Amendment was ratified, the militia of the United States consisted of all able-bodied males between the ages of 16 and 60.  Later on, this was changed to males 18 to 45 years of age.

The term "well regulated" in the late 1700's meant that something was in proper working order, something that was calibrated correctly and something that was functioning as it should.  When the term is applied to the militia of the time, it meant that the militia should be properly trained, exercise regularly and that they be able to carry out their tasks in an expedient and efficient manner.

It did not mean regulation by legislative action.

The term "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" means just what it says.  The term "the people" is used throughout the founding documents (first, second, fourth, ninth and tenth amendments in the Bill of Rights) and nowhere does it mean anything other than the general population of the United States.  Allow me to quote:

"Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American. . . . The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the People." 
Tench Coxe, Pennsylvania Gazette, February 20, 1788.

The original intention of the Second Amendment is the single most important aspect of this argument.  Please take a look at the "Quotes" page to see for yourself, what the Founding Fathers thought and meant when considering the Second Amendment's meaning.

Another thing that the everyday American does not realize is that in all of our nation's founding documents, "Powers" or "Authority" are granted to States or the Federal Government and "Rights" are always guaranteed to the general population of the United States.

The Second Amendment was never intended to solely reflect a State's power to form its own militia, but it was also intended as a self-imposed restriction upon government.  In fact, the entire Bill of Rights are self-imposed government restrictions.

Yes, you see, the Bill of Rights is actually a listing of negative liberties.  Please allow me to explain myself:

Our Founding Fathers knew all to well, as we also know today, that government always seeks to gain more control, power and authority for itself.

They did not trust a powerful central government that had a limitless degree of control over its Citizens.

"I hope, therefore, a bill of rights will be formed to guard the people against the Federal government as they are already guarded against their State governments, in most instances." 
Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1788. ME 7:98

The Bill of Rights is actually a listing of rights that are retained by the people to protect themselves from their own government.  These rights are enumerated in the Bill of Rights in order to protect the people from a government gone awry.  They are limitations on government power over the people, rather than rights granted to the people by government.  If you don't believe me, start studying real history and not the revisionist crap that is spewing from current academia who are more interested in "political correctness" than the truth.

The best that the anti-gun person can come up with in regards to a Second Amendment argument in their favor is the Miller case of 1939 that was heard in the United States Supreme Court.

In the Miller case, the defendants Jack Miller and Frank Layton were not present and neither was their legal counsel.  Therefore, there was no opposing view available for the Supreme Court Justices to review and consider.

Using the Miller Case of 1939 as an argument for gun control is a misinterpretation of the decision itself.

They were charged with violation of the National Firearms Act of 1934, which is actually a tax law and not a ban on machine guns or short barreled shotguns.

For more info on Miller, go to my "Second Amendment" page.

For research on the Second Amendment, take a look at my "Links" page first.

The 1939 Miller case in whole, is not a case that supports the views of gun control advocates.  However gun control advocates have taken blurbs from the case and twisted them to their own liking.  Please read the review of the Miller case on my "Second Amendment" page.  If anything, Miller supported the rights of American citizens to own and carry military firepower.

The Criminal Mind

I would suppose that the central purpose of laws that regulate the possession, transfer, usage and transportation of firearms is intended to curtail the use of guns during the commission of crimes.

Congressmen and state legislators continually cite the "availability of firearms" as a "cause" of crime.  And inevitably they propose and pass laws that regulate the ownership and possession of firearms.

For a moment, let's see things from the perspective of the criminal mind.

Federal statistics show that 85% of all violent crime in the United States is committed by only 7% of the criminal population.

This small 7% segment of the criminal population is the most hardened, angry, violent and barbaric humans that walk the earth.

This 7% component of the criminal population are ready and willing to commit the most heinous and vicious crimes known to mankind.  They are willing to risk their lives everyday to perpetrate their own wicked and degenerate brand of violence.

They reportedly commit on average more than 200 crimes each year, according to statistics I have seen.  They readily commit much more serious crimes than firearm violations and never, ever, ever concern themselves with dutifully obeying laws that control gun ownership.

Since the Gun Control Act of 1968, it has been illegal for a convicted felon to be in possession of a firearm, but it is convicted felons who make up this most violent 7% of the criminal element.

This most violent segment of criminals obtain the guns they use to commit crimes with, through family members, friends, illegal drug transactions, robberies, home invasions, straw purchases and the black market.  Law abiding and honest gun owners are not peddling their cherished gun collections on every street corner.

All these sources of illegally purchased firearms exist for the sole purpose of providing guns to criminals.  In the world of the violent criminal, the illegally purchased gun is a valuable tool that enables them to commit their crimes more effectively.

What does all this mean?

It very basically means that gun control laws have no affect whatsoever on the mind of the violent criminal, when he/she considers obtaining a firearm to use to commit crimes with.

In fact, common sense dictates that strict gun control laws and gun bans actually create more black market sources for firearms than those that would normally exist.

Don't get me too wrong here.  I think that their should be logical and rational laws surrounding firearm ownership and possession.  The laws that I think should be in place consist of two (2) distinct types.

1.)  Point of Sale procedures to make sure that convicted felons, sexual predators and the mentally incompetent cannot purchase a firearm at a retail sporting goods store or gun shop.  The National Instant Check System is close to what I have in mind.  The prospective buyer's name and Social Security Number should be checked against a world-wide criminal database.  This Point of Sale instant check must be in place only because religion and morality has not played a large role in America for the last 40 years.

2.)  The other type of law that should exist to curtail the use of firearms in crime are the laws that specifically add additional penalties to a crime if a firearm is in the criminal's possession.

The mind of the most violent criminal segment is not affected by laws that regulate firearms.  A criminal who readily commits violent crime, will ALWAYS be able to get a hold of a firearm, even during something as Draconian as a total ban on gun ownership.

If you don't believe me, take a quick look at the illegal drug trade as an example.

Cocaine, heroine, crack and marijuana are illegal in every corner of the country.  But because of the colossal demand for these illegal drugs, they can be found to some degree in nearly every city and town in the country.

That is because there are a few million people who are willing to break the law to obtain them.  The very same principle existed during Prohibition in the 1920's.  Alcohol could be readily obtained because people were demanding it.  The same thing exists in the illegal gun trade.

Therefore, gun control laws affect only those who obey them.  They have had no affect on the criminal mind.  Gun control laws also create illegal black markets for guns where they don't exist without them.

One (1) in every thirty two (32) American adults is either in prison, in jail, on probation or out on parole.  Did you get that, or did you not read it thoroughly?  1 in every 32 Americans is either in jail, in prison or out on parole, or currently on probation.

We don't have a 'gun problem' in the United States, we have a morality problem.  See my "Share the Solution" page for more details.

Straw Purchases

Many of the guns that have been used in crime were provided to the perpetrators by friends and family members.  In fact, the actual number according to the U.S. Department of Justice is 39.6%.

SaveTheGuns.com believes that there should be much more severe penalties imposed upon people who knowingly provide firearms to criminals.

According to well known statistics, 86.2% of firearms that were used to commit crime with, were supplied to the criminal illegally, by friends, family members or illegal sources like robberies or through the drug trade itself.

If someone knowingly provides a firearm to a criminal who then commits a crime with it.  The penalties for such activities should be treated very, very seriously.

To the best of my knowledge, providing a firearm to a known felon does not in itself result in a felony punishable by as many as five (5) or ten (10) years in prison.

85% of all violent crime is committed by only 7% of the criminal population, almost all of which are already felons.  In fact more than 89% of adults convicted of murder already had criminal records as adults and were therefore disallowed from legally owning firearms in the first place.

Increasing the penalty for providing a firearm to a known felon will reduce the possibility of a known felon obtaining a firearm.

JUST MORE COMMON SENSE FROM SAVETHEGUNS.COM.

We can fight crime where guns are used without diminishing the original intention of the Second Amendment.  I just wish that state legislators and congressional law makers would listen to us pro-gun people and not just turn us off, like they have been doing.  We know guns, and we have something pithy, concise and meaningful to say about them and how to diminish their use in criminal activity.

Doctors Vs Gun Owners

There has been a very disturbing movement among medical professionals to advocate the eradication or at least the abridging of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.  According to the following well known statistics, it seems as if the medical industry should take a closer look in the mirror and then determine who is more dangerous to the American public.

Number of physicians in the US: 700,000.
Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year:  120,000.
Accidental deaths per physician:  0.171
(U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services)

Number of gun owners in the US: 80,000,000.
Number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups) 802 (in 2001).
Accidental deaths per gun owner: 0.0000100

Statistically, doctors are thousands of times more dangerous than gun owners.

FACT: Not everyone has a gun, but just about everyone has at least one Doctor.  Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.  We must ban doctors quickly before this gets out of hand.  Of course I'm not serious, but the statistics are serious.

How Felons Get Guns

Let me make this very misunderstood point quite clear:

If state and federal lawmakers can come up with legislation to charge violent criminals with a felony for even making an attempt to procure a firearm, it would receive widespread support by the law-abiding gun owning community.

Let me make another point very clear:

Laws that regulate the possession and sale of firearms, only apply to purchases made at a legal and licensed retail outlet.  Can you imagine an illegal drug dealer asking one of his addicts for his firearm permit, when he tries to buy drugs with a stolen gun?  How ridiculous!!!

Most Second Amendment supporters who aren't absolutists believe that violent felons, the criminally insane and the mentally incompetent should not have free and unencumbered access to firearms at retail.

I have found over my many years of working to preserve the integrity of the Second Amendment that those who support gun control legislation are really decent, caring and involved individuals that want to do something about crime, but in actuality, don't have a single clue what they're talking about or how to go about it.  The misinformation and sometimes downright lies coming from the anti-gunners greatly influence these caring people who don't know anything about firearms, lawful gun owners or how felons actually obtain their firearms.

Most law-abiding gun owners want something to be done about the violent felon's access to firearms, but at the same time, we want to be left alone and unaffected.  I believe we can divide and conquer gun control supporters by continually stating the following statistics.

Here's the truth:

A U.S. Department of Justice study of over 18,000 incarcerated inmates and how they procured their firearms has found the following:

39.6% of the guns possessed or used during the commission of a crime came from FAMILY AND/OR FRIENDS. It's not clear whether the majority are stolen from family and friends, or given to them by family and friends, but I believe that the majority of them were taken without the knowledge of the legal owners. These types of access are not affected by gun control legislation.  When a friend or family member who is able to legally buy a firearm, purchases one for a known felon, that is called a "straw purchase".  In my estimation, straw purchases account for at least a third of this 39.6% significant source of guns used in crime.



39.2% were obtained through unlawful and illegal sources, such as ON THE STREET, THROUGH THE ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE AND THROUGH ROBBERIES AND BURGLARIES. These types of firearm access are not affected by gun control legislation at all.



8.3% were purchased fraudulently through a LEGITIMATE AND PROPERLY LICENSED RETAIL OUTLET. These purchases were made by misrepresenting themselves as law-abiding gun owners through false identification or other fraudulent means or through licensed retailers who were unlawfully not concerned about the purchaser's status as felons. Obviously violent criminal thugs fabricate the required federal BATFE Form 4473.



3.8% were obtained by through a PAWN SHOP. These purchases again were made by misrepresenting themselves or through pawn shop owners who were unlawfully unconcerned about their status as felons. 



1.0% of the guns used or possessed during a crime were purchased at FLEA MARKETS OR YARD SALES. This very small source of illegal firearms are obtained by irresponsible citizens who sell firearms to people they aren't familiar with, but who are not required by law to get a Federal Firearm License (FFL).



0.7% of them were purchased at GUN SHOWS. This very clearly shows that the anti-gun movement's focus upon gun show legislation will have nearly no affect upon the criminal mind, but will rather unduly burden the law-abiding gun owner. Background checks must be done at gun shows by retailers in the business of selling firearms already by law. Anyone in the business of selling firearms must have a Federal Firearm License (FFL) as well as a state license. There is no "gun show loophole".

8.03% of places where violent criminals get their guns could not be determined by the study.  However, what we do know about this remaining 8.03% is that they were not acquired through a properly licensed retail outlet, where the violent criminal thug used proper identification, survived a background check and also had a valid permit.  Therefore, it is likely that this remaining number is likewise either from illegal sources or face to face (FTF) firearm sales between strangers through personal ads.

And That's The Truth!!!

Prevent your guns from being used to murder someone and check out my Online Store page.  Click on the "Safety and Security" page.

So, with these statistics in mind, how can we keep guns from getting into the hands of criminals who are prone to violent behavior?  How can we curtail the actual sources of crime guns, affect the criminal mind, leave the honest gun owner out of the loop and support the intention of the Second Amendment?

A quite simple three-prong assault will suffice nicely...

1.)  Add penalties to a violent crime of rape, robbery or murder for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years if a gun is present, brandished, fired or used to injure, respectively during the commission of the crime.  (who cares about the resulting prison overcrowding?  Not me.  Maybe the ACLU.)  Adding specific firearm-related penalties to a violent crime is the answer.  More often, in reality, the gun charges are dismissed, in order to obtain an easier criminal conviction.  A fairly large number of guns used in acts of violent crime come from home burglaries of law abiding citizens as well.  We clearly need to add at least five (5) years onto a home burglary charge per firearm if a gun was stolen during the home burglary.

Criminals will use guns less often if just brandishing one, will cost them ten (10) years of freedom if they choose to commit a crime with it.  Additionally criminals will steal firearms from a home less often if taking one would add five (5) years onto a prison sentence for the burglary of the residence.  Specifically punishing criminals for stealing, possessing, brandishing and shooting firearms is the right answer.  Further burdening the honest gun owner is never going to accomplish anything.


2.)  Add severe penalties to an individual who knowingly provides a firearm to a known convict.  Be them a friend, acquaintance, family member, neighbor or drug dealer.  Remember that almost 40% of guns used during the commission of crime come from family and friends according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

These penalties should be severe enough that someone would refrain from giving a firearm to his/her own brother or sister if he/she had been convicted of a crime in the past and could likely intend on using the gun to commit a crime.

3.)  Make licensed firearm retailers require and confirm at least two (2) accepted methods of identification in order the thwart the criminal's attempts at falsifying documents at the time of sale.  There should be no substitute for positive identification during the purchase of a firearm.  The National Instant Check System (NICS) is used in every state that does not require a permit to purchase a firearm at retail.  So between NICS, some state required permits to purchase and positive identification of the purchaser, sales to felons at retail should be nearly eliminated.  There are perhaps one percent (1%) or less of BATFE licensed firearm dealers who do not follow firearm sale guidelines or keep good records of firearm sales.  This very small portion of firearm retailers should be punished appropriately.

A three pronged approach such as this, that completely leaves the law abiding gun owner alone is best.  I have never been an absolutist in defending the right to keep and bear arms.  It's my opinion that the violent felon, the criminally insane and the mentally incompetent should not have lawful access to firearms at retail.  But it's also my position that the law abiding, honest and upright firearm owner should never be harassed or unnecessarily inconvenienced in the name of reducing acts of violent crime.

Gun Control Doesn't Work

I would like to take the time here in this section of my Web site to state some real-world statistics that clearly and unequivocally show evidence that states with strict gun control legislation as a rule have more violent crime than states with almost no gun control.

After reading the hard evidence that I have compiled, you will say with absolute certainty that gun control laws are never obeyed by criminals inclined toward violence.

I have taken the 2001 Uniform Crime Report published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and have dissected it.  The following statistics clearly show that the states with the highest number of violent crimes and the highest rates of violent crime per capita are curiously the states that have strict laws concerning the ownership, use and transportation of firearms.

The vast majority of murders in the United States occur during robberies outside the home, where concealed carry laws would be most effective.  Another stat that I find very interesting is that 85% of all acts of violent crime are committed by only 7% of the criminal population.  A small segment of the criminal population are doing the most killing.

Here are some of the statistics that I found that fully support my position that gun control laws serve only to burden the law abiding gun owner and are never obeyed and observed by the most violent among criminals.

•  Of the handful of states that had concealed carry laws prior to 1987, each and every one of those states are in the bottom 25 states in rates of violent crime.  EVERY ONE OF THE CONCEALED CARRY STATES AS OF THIS WRITING ARE IN THE SAFEST HALF OF ALL OF THE 50 STATES!!!
  
  

• Of the ten states with the lowest rates of violent crime, only ONE STATE, Hawaii restricts concealed carry.  Of the ten safest states, nine of them are concealed carry states.  How do you like them potatoes????
  
  

• Of the seven states (including Washington D.C.) that prohibit concealed carry, only one of them, Wisconsin, is in the lowest 15 states for violent crime.
  
  

• Of the 25 safest states with the lowest rates of violent crime, 20 of them or 80% are "shall issue" concealed carry states.
  
  

• Of the 25 most violent states in the United States, 14 allow concealed carry, 7 of them restrict concealed carry and 4 of them prohibit concealed carry altogether!!!
  
  

• Of the top 10 most violent states, 2 of them prohibit concealed carry altogether, 4 states restrict it and another 4 allow it.
  
  

• Of the most violent 6 states plus the District of Columbia, that prohibit concealed carry, they average 601 violent crimes per year, per 100,000 citizens!!!
  
  

• Of the 7 states that have had "shall issue" concealed carry laws the longest (prior to 1987), they average only 193 violent crimes, per 100,000 citizens!!!  Pay attention here!  601 crimes per capita in states that prohibit concealed carry and 193 crimes per capita in states that have allowed concealed carry the longest.

These truthful and accurate statistics conclusively show that the safest states are those with the least restrictions on the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The anti-gunner can try to twist facts and color their studies as they will, but these are the facts. Something that the far left media elite will never let the general public find out about.

Upon final examination of the statistical analysis that I have done, I must say that the top 35 most violent states read like a "who's who" of states with strict gun control laws. The following listed states are all in the top 35 states for murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault and are the most restrictive in terms of gun control laws.  If gun control worked to reduce acts of violent crime, the following fourteen states would be the lowest in terms of violent crime.

Washington D.C. #1
Maryland #2
New Mexico #3
Illinois #7
California #8
Delaware #9
Missouri #14
New York #16
Massachusetts #20
Kansas #24
New Jersey #25
Ohio #29
Rhode Island #33
Nebraska #35

The five safest states per capita in the United States are:

North Dakota #50
Vermont #49
Maine #48
South Dakota #47
New Hampshire #46

Just in case you are a liberal anti-gun blockhead with your head in the sand, these five safest states in the U.S. have very little gun control.  In fact, in the state of Vermont, one can carry a concealed firearm in public with a clean record and proof of age.  In the state of Maine, one can carry a handgun openly in an exposed holster on the hip as a police officer does.  Let's see, very little crime and very little gun control go hand in hand.  Of course it's not that simple, but this clearly shows that restrictive gun control laws do not affect the criminal mind or their access to firearms.

Bearing these above statistics in mind, one can only come to the quite logical conclusion that those who are willing or inclined to commit the most heinous acts known to mankind do not concern themselves with gun control laws.  However, they do not seem to want to be shot by an armed victim.  Hmm imagine that...

I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE, BUT IT BEARS REPEATING AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.  EACH STATE DESPERATELY NEEDS TO ENACT HABITUAL OFFENDER LEGISLATION SUCH AS "THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT".  FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON GUN OWNERSHIP WILL BE IGNORED BY THE VIOLENT AND OBEYED BY THE LAWFUL.  WAKE UP!!!

I'M SICK AND TIRED OF SEEING PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR CRIMES OF RAPE, ROBBERY AND MURDER WITH TWENTY OR MORE CONVICTIONS!!!!  IF THESE IDIOTS CANNOT CONTROL THEIR OWN ACTIONS, LOCK THEM UP OR SUBJECT THEM TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!!!!

WE MUST FOCUS OUR LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES UPON IMPOSING ADDITIONAL PENALTIES TO A CRIME IF A GUN WAS POSSESSED, BRANDISHED, FIRED OR USED TO INJURE.

WE MUST ALSO FOCUS ON CURTAILING THE SOURCES OF FIREARMS ACTUALLY USED DURING THE COMMISSION OF A CRIME.  LAW ABIDING GUN OWNERS ARE NOT POISED ON STREET CORNERS PEDDLING THEIR CHERISHED COLLECTIONS TO VIOLENT THUGS.

THE MINDSET THAT SAYS THAT RESTRICTIONS UPON FIREARM SALES TO HONEST CITIZENS WILL REDUCE ACTS OF VIOLENT CRIME IS MISINFORMED AT BEST AND IS FEEBLE-MINDED IDIOCY AT WORST.

WE MUST PUNISH CRIMINALS FOR ILLEGALLY OBTAINING FIREARMS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

AN ADDITIONAL FIVE (5) YEARS IN PRISON PER GUN FOR ROBBERIES AND BURGLARIES WHERE GUNS ARE STOLEN IS A GOOD START.

If you have a topic that you would like me to address on this Truth Is Everything page, please feel free to E-mail me.

Back to the top

© 2000 - 2008 by www.SaveTheGuns.com  All Rights Reserved

PLEASE E-MAIL THIS WEB SITE URL TO A FRIEND BY CLICKING HERE!!!