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The Real Cost of Gun Control!
© Joseph G. Lolli 2001
Our current
gun-control laws are far too protective of terrorists and far too
dangerous for honest citizens. On September 11, 2001 terrorists armed with
edged weapons hijacked four airliners containing 266 innocent passengers.
We all know what the result was of this horrible event. On December 7,
1993, Colin Ferguson strolled down the isle of a Long Island commuter
train, shooting 25 people. He wounded nineteen commuters and killed six.
In both
situations, the only legal recourse our government allowed these victims
was to use their cell phones to call 911 and, in the words of Rep. Dick
Armey to Tony Snow; hope that “the Shepherd (i.e. government) will
protect the flock (helpless citizens)”.
Consider
this situation. On the same weekend of the Columbine school shooting,
there was another shooting in Dothan Alabama. Three masked gunmen walked
into a Shoney's restaurant that Saturday night and ordered all of the
customers and employees into the walk-in cooler. One of the customers was
in a booth in the back, eating a late night supper. The State of Alabama
had issued that particular customer a concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit
for the .45 caliber handgun that he had in the briefcase at his feet.
Instead of being herded into the cooler with the others like sheep to
slaughter, this particular customer slid under his table and hid.
While hiding
under the table, he pulled his military style .45 from his briefcase,
quietly chambered a round and waited. He later told police that he was
willing to remain hiding until the bad-guys simply took the money and
left. But then he heard the shotgun toting bad-guy order the manager to
open the safe. When she moved too slowly, the predator threatened to kill
her. It was only then that the hidden customer rose up from his
concealment and shot two armed criminals dead and held the third at
gunpoint until the police arrived.
A few years
ago in Scottsdale Arizona, a shotgun wielding robber burst into a branch
bank and ordered everyone onto the floor. He pointed the shotgun at the
security guard and ordered him to disarm himself and lay down with the
rest of the customers. A 76 year old woman pleaded with the robber saying
that she was too frail to lie on the floor. She asked if she could sit in
a chair over by the desks. The robber granted the old woman's wish,
whereby she sat down, clutching her handbag to her chest.
When the
robber's focus was on bludgeoning one of the bank tellers with his
shotgun, demanding more cash from the vault, the old woman quietly
withdrew her Smith and Wesson Model 66 revolver and shot the robber dead
with her 357 magnum. Upon the arrival of the police, she presented the
detectives with her Arizona Concealed Carry Permit for the revolver that
she carried in her purse.
Colin
Ferguson shot more than two dozen people on a commuter train and a handful
of Islamic zealots just killed thousands of Americans. In both cases, none
of the passengers were allowed the means to effectively facilitate their
fundamental right of self-defense.
Thirty-two
states have now provided almost five million Americans with
“shall-issue” concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits. Including the
Shoney’s customer in Dothan and the 76 year-old woman in Scottsdale,
these five million permit holders had to pass an extensive FBI background
check, pass firearms safety and range training, and wait a ninety day
period for the permit to be issued.
It’s well
documented that lawful gun owners thwart more than two million crimes each
year. It is also well documented that during the almost fifteen year
history of “shall-issue” concealed weapons permits, as a demographic
group, these people typically have above average income, have at least
some higher education, attend church, are members of civic organizations
and have no criminal record. When compared to any other demographic group
over this fifteen year period, CCW permit holders commit virtually no
violent crime.
Regardless
of these facts, our government does not trust Americans with their own
self-defense and for the want of a $500 pistol in the hands of a CCW
licensed passenger, thousands of innocent lives were lost because of it.
For some strange reason, our government is MORE terrified of that honest law-abiding licensed citizen with
a gun in her carry-on baggage than the terrorist hiding in Afghanistan.
Congress
needs to immediately change the law that restricts honest, CCW licensed
citizens from traveling anywhere without their firearms.
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