How often do you think a potential rapist, bank robber, or murderer saunters into a gun store, picks out a semi-automatic pistol, produces identification, pays for the gun, takes a required gun safety course and test, waits 3 to 10 days to receive the gun, and then goes out to commit the crime?
The fact is that the day-to-day already illegal use of guns does not involve legally owned guns. Guns are stolen, or traded back and forth between individuals, gangs, and territories so that they can’t be readily traced back to the criminal.
I do agree that many crimes committed by juveniles involve guns that come out of the homes of parents. But, the proper answer to this issue is that the parent did not exercise proper control of the weapon and the parent deserves some legal repercussions.
How often do you hear of an armed citizen, carrying a concealed weapon with a permit to carry that concealed weapon, committing a crime? Never. On the other hand, how often do you hear about such an individual stopping a crime, aiding law enforcement, or in other ways displaying a positive role in an emergency situation? Frequently.
I know of no single legitimate gun collector in this country who has taken an AK-47 and gone on a shooting and killing spree. But, I do hear, almost every day, about some hood or gang member who used an AK-47 to shoot and kill people. Reasonably, you know that the thug with the AK-47 does not own it legally. So, if you make the possession of an AK-47 illegal, do you think the thug is going to turn his in?
I live near a major highway. I am sure that criminals, armed with guns, travel up and down the highway everyday. You could reasonably expect that one of those guys is going to end up in my yard someday, looking for a telephone, or to steal my car because the one he’s driving broke down; there are many possible scenarios. I have several guns in my house, all loaded and ready to shoot. And, I do shoot them. On a regular basis, I take them to the range and fire them.
In my lifetime, there have been several times when I reached for a gun and was prepared to use it in self defense. Thankfully, I have never had to show a gun and I’ve never had to fire it at someone. But, if I had not been able to talk an ugly situation into a better situation, I was prepared to defend myself.
There are many reasons that legal gun owners have those guns. Some hunt, some shoot for sport in sanctioned gun competitions, some collect like others collect cars or baseball caps, and some keep them close by for defensive purposes. But, we are not the ones to blame for the gang shootings in the streets, the wild kid in a school, or the bank robber. On the other hand…. If you take away our legal guns, those guys will still have their illegal guns.
And, God help the stupid s.o.b. who tries to come and take away my legal guns because, when I shoot, I don’t miss.
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