Setting the Record Straight – Some of my personal thoughts on Guns – Specifically Conceal Carry. ~ Tony Hutson First off, I am not anti-gun. However I strongly believe that this push by gun supporters to add more guns is simply wrong. I am referring right now to concealed carry. I believe history will show that this is such a bad idea. We live in a stressed out society and the last thing we need is more guns out there. I have friends and family who are strong pro gun folks. I will never change their minds nor will they change mine over this issue. I hope they will take the time to read this but respect the fact that we will always disagree on this important issue. (If you disagree with me fine, we can disagree without being disagreeable) Concealed carry the downside. We have already witnessed it. Guy gets gunned down in a movie theater because he had the nerve to text and pissed the guy off behind him. Guy gets pissed because a van load of punk kids had the music up to loud at a gas station. One thing leads to another and one young kid is dead and that guy heads to prison. And carrying a gun in public may actually raise your risks of getting killed. The University of Pennsylvania did a study released back in 2009 where they found that people who carried guns were 4.5 times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed compared with unarmed citizens. According to studies published in MotherJones, the states with the highest gun ownership rates have a gun murder rate 114% higher than those with the lowest gun ownership rates. A recent study looking at 30 years of homicide date in all 50 states found that for every one percent increase in a state’s gun ownership rate, there is a nearly one percent increase in its firearm homicide rate. You can’t just sit in a classroom for a few hours and have a few days on the range and be able to handle a real life shooting situation. Experienced law enforcement officers have trouble in these situations and most of them have been in life and death situations many times where the tunnel vision sets in. They knows to be aware of his surroundings and how to control their emotions in stressful situations. They get that from YEARS of training and experience. That is COMPLETELY different from some Yahoo redneck who, because it’s his God given right to have a gun strapped on his hip, is going to sit in a classroom for a few hours and then wait for the chance to play gun fighter of the wild west. This is real life. These are the folks who will be armed. My family and friends who will often comment on one of my posts about guns will say things like “Tony, do you ever think that nothing bad is going to happen to you when you are out in public?” “I would rather know that my kids and I are going to be safe.” My first thought to this is that I can’t image going through life living in such a constant state of fear. So I decided to do some research to see if I too should be terrified that I am going to be a victim of some violent crime. The numbers just don’t play out that way. Ironically, some of the same folks who claim to be so worried about protecting their families from harm or death that they feel they MUST have gun strapped to their hip 24 hours a day don’t show the same concern about protecting themselves and their families from causes of death that are far more likely than being a victim of crime. There is risk in life all around us. We all know that. What we can’t do is let fear consume us and control our daily lives. In a 2007 article in the New York Times they gathered information from the National Safety Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Leading causes of death in America. Let’s put it all in perspective: #1 HEART DISEASE - Lifetime risk 1 in 5 (Are those concerned about needing a firearm to protect their families also avoiding risk factors for heart disease? Do they smoke? Do they smoke around their children? Do they exercise? Do they watch what they and their family eat? I assume they have stopped going to McDonalds) #2 CANCER– Lifetime risk 1 in 7 (Are those concerned about needing a firearm to protect their families also avoiding risk factors for cancer? Same as heart disease) #3 STROKE – Lifetime risk 1 in 24 (Same points as Heart Disease) #4 HOSPITAL INFECTIONS – Lifetime risk 1 in 38 #5 FLU – Lifetime risk 1 in 63 (Are you getting a flu shot every year???) #6 CAR ACCIDENTS – Lifetime risk 1 in 84 (Still driving a car? Still allowing your family to ride in a car? Always drive the speed limit? Always obey ALL traffic laws?? ) #7 SUICIDE – Lifetime risk 1 in 119 (More apt to die from suicide than from getting killed by a mugger. Are you sure we need more guns around?) #8 ACCIDENTAL POISIONINGS – Lifetime risk 1 in 193 #9 MRSA (resistant bacteria) – Lifetime risk 1 in 197 (Are we over using antibiotics?) #10 FALLS - Lifetime risk 1 in 218 (Yep, you are more likely to die from falling down that being killed by a bad guy with a gun.) #11 ASSAULT BY FIREARM – Lifetime risk 1 in 340 (Ok we finally got there. However there are ten more things that will most likely kill you but this is the one the pro gun folks seem to only worry about. If you tell me you need a gun to protect you and your family and yet you smoke cigarettes our discussion is over. Where is your concern for yourself and your family when you light up?? If you regularly speed or disobey traffic laws and so on you are being disingenuous on this issue in my opinion. ) I know this most likely didn’t change in minds but I wanted to address this issue in depth once and for all. This is where I am coming from.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:37:01 +0000
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