The second amendment of the U.S. Constitution states,
“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.” The signers of the Constitution had just
fought a bloody war to gain their freedom from an oppressive totalitarian
government and believed that an armed citizenry was the best insurance against
that occurring in the new country.
Unfortunately, not all of our politicians today agree with the thinking
of our founding fathers and use every opportunity to point to the need for making
it difficult, if not impossible, for citizens to arm themselves.
The shooting at the theater in Colorado was horrific
and after the shooting, as expected, we heard leaders calling for a ban on
certain weapons. Among them was Rep. Ed
Perlmutter, a Democrat from Aurora Colorado where the shooting occurred. (1) However, others argued that had there been an
armed citizenry at the theater, they would have stopped the shooter. This leads us to ask the question, does an
armed citizenry increase or decrease gun crime.
Economist John Lott, author of the book “More Guns,
Less Crime.” conducted a statistical analysis comparing counties with strict
gun control laws with counties allowing citizens to carry weapons. Mr. Lott’s findings revealed that the
counties allowing citizens to carry saw a decrease in crimes such as murder,
assault, robbery, and rape. Many took
objection to Mr. Lott’s findings but according to John Allen Paulos of ABC
News, “Lott's formal calculations are not wrong in any blatant way.” (2)
Lott’s thesis is also proven outside our
country. Murder rates in Mexico and
South Africa where there is strict gun control are twice as high as those in
the United States. In New Zealand,
Israel, and Switzerland who have gun ownership rates comparable to ours, rates
of violent crime are lower than those in the United States. Specifically, in Switzerland where there are
an estimated 6 million Swiss owning 2 million guns, including 600,000 fully
automatic assault rifles, the murder rate is 15 percent of that in the United
States. (3)
The statistics seem to tell us that an armed
citizenry does indeed reduce crime.
Unfortunately, four more years of an Obama Administration could result
in stricter gun control and not less.
The DNC platform adopted at the 2012 Convention says
the following about gun control
We recognize that the
individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition,
and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is
subject to reasonable regulation. We
understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder
that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national
conversation about firearms. We can
focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our
background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense
improvements--like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show
loophole--so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible,
law-breaking few. (4)
This sounds good because it does not forbid anyone
from owning a gun and only calls for more background checks. However, 90 percent of violent crimes are
committed without a handgun and of those committed with a handgun, 93 percent
of the guns used were obtained illegally and thus bypassed registration laws
and waiting periods. (3)
This is a list of positions Obama has taken on Gun
Control.
In contrast, the RNC
platform says the following regarding gun control.
We uphold the right of
individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution
and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the
law-abiding citizens God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental
individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court's decisions in District of
Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we
recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and
store ammunition without registration.
We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a
law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal
legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those
with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues
such permits to its own residents.
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I see no mention of
more gun control legislation in this statement but I do see strong language
allowing the use or weapons as long as the individual uses them safely and in
a responsible matter.
Okay there is little
difference between Obama and Romney on gun control but if elected President,
Republicans will hold Romney to what the RNC platform says whereas voters
will not have that option with Obama who more closely agrees with his party’s
platform.
This concludes our
comparison of the country under 4 years of Romney versus 4 more years of
Obama. Looking at the differing views
on the issues, we see that those wanting the government to do more for them
should vote for Obama who favors more and expanding government programs to
provide more government services for citizens. Those wanting more liberty and freedom with
reduced government interference and taxes should vote for Romney.
Now it is time for you
the voter to decide.
1.
Trindle, Jess Bravin and Jamila. Few politicians call for gun-control
changes. online.wsj.com. [Online] The Wall Street Journal, July 22,
2012. [Cited: October 2, 2012.]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444025204577543033015396416.html?mod=e2tw.
2. Paulos, John Allen. Do Concealed Guns
Reduce Crime? abcnews.go.com. [Online] ABC News, March 1, 2012. [Cited:
October 2, 2012.]
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=98678&page=1#.UGuYQU3hKvu.
3. Williams, Walter E. More guns reduces
crime. econfaculty.gmu.edu. [Online] George Mason University, June 28,
1995. [Cited: October 2, 2012.] http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/articles/95/more-guns-less-crime.htm.
4. Party, The Democratic. Democratic party on
gun control. www.issues2000.org. [Online] OnTheIssues, September 4,
2012. [Cited: October 3, 2012.]
http://www.issues2000.org/celeb/Democratic_Party_Gun_Control.htm.
5. OnTheIssues. 2012 Presidential candidates
Barack Obama on the issues. www.ontheissues.org. [Online] OnTheIssues.
[Cited: October 2, 2012.]
http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm#Gun_Control.
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