Once again, conservatives have latched onto the bait tossed out by progressives in their never-ending campaign to grab guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens. Gun control is just one aspect of the Progressive agenda; in essence, they want control of everyone and everything any way they can.
Toward this end, they will tell you anything to get what they want. For example, they say they are multiculturalists, right up until election season when cultures become pawns to move around the political battlefield. All non-compliant free-thinkers are dealt with accordingly.
Consider the war on women last year contrived to convince women the Democrat Party is the place for them. In the end, they made women look more like sex objects best left in the bedroom. It was demeaning to listen to all the noise made about free birth control at the DNC last summer; I fully expected to see birth control pills and NuvaRings rain down from the ceiling at convention’s close. And how about President Obama’s new near estrogen-free cabinet? The party for women? Hah.
So now they say we urgently need gun control. And, they are exploiting children the same way they exploit minorities and women to get it. The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre is a means to an end. On MSNBC recently, guest Patricia Maisch said, “It’s a shame we had to get to the 20 little martyrs” at Sandy Hook to take action regarding gun control. Little martyrs? Martyrs for what? The religion of gun control?
The time has come for Progressives to come clean about gun control. Drop the word “gun” and we’ll be a little closer to having an honest conversation. But since they won’t, please let me help. I recently visited one of my favorite Progressive websites, where I ran across an article claiming gun control measures would do little to change anything because Americans at large are too evil and violent. It’s hard to reconcile all the America-loathing out there, but there is a simple solution: Renounce your citizenship and purchase a one-way plane ticket.
The article failed to present an honest assessment of facts and figures, most likely to incite an emotional, rather than rational response, hence inspiring me to go fact digging, which led me to the FBI’s Expanded Homicide Data Table number 8.
According to the FBI, in 2010, there were 8,775 gun homicides. Of those, 6009 were from handguns, 358 from rifles, 373 from shotguns, 96 by “other” guns, and 1939 “not specified.” This breakdown doesn’t bode well for those promoting re-regulation of assault weapons. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, most mass murders are committed with “firearms that would not be restricted by an assault weapons ban.”
The same FBI report disclosed that knives and cutting instrument deaths (1704) quadrupled rifle deaths and 540 people died from blunt objects, similar to the Golden Globe award Anne Hathaway just received and labeled as a “lovely blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt.” Knock yourself out, Anne. Anyway, I digress. If one applied the same twisted logic as Vice President Biden who recently said, “If only one life is saved, it’s worth it,” then I suppose we need to ban big shiny club-like award objects. Or maybe we need to ban the use of appendages, since almost twice the amount of people who died from shotgun wounds were killed by hands, fists or feet. While we’re at it, we need to do something about falling because, according to the CDC, 24,792 people died as a result, in 2009.
Progressives’ logic on this issue is ridiculous and it is ridiculous for Conservatives to participate because in the end, Progressives may not get everything they want, but will get more than they should. In reality, according to the aforementioned FBI report, firearm murders dropped significantly from 2006 to 2010; while, according to Bloomberg Business , gun sales have exploded since 2009, meaning the real answer to less gun deaths is more guns.
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Susan Stamper Brown is an opinion page columnist, motivational speaker and military advocate who writes about politics, the military, the economy and culture. Email Susan at writestamper@gmail.com or her website at susanstamperbrown.com.
Susan Stamper Brown appears to one of the few people of reason that write for the AS. Sadly, your argument will never persuade gun control advocates. You used logic.
Susan Rubber Stamp lives in a fantasy world in which everyone who is not a wealthy, snobbish and “pure” as her is trying to take everything away. No one is coming to take your precious guns. Rubber Stamp and her counterparts are people who are scared of everything and let that fear rule their lives. These are the type of people who re-elect Bush because he makes them feel safe.
Quit listening to those who push fear of everthing and wake to the world. It is a refuge of a person who know they are wrong in their heart to start pointing out what others are doing wrong when confronted on their faults. To equate people shoting others and trying to limit that to banning knives and any other instrument of potential harm reminds me of a child who when caught breaking the rules responds with “But Billy does it too.”
You have voiced your opinion no please shut your Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Anne Coulter trickle down of moronic inane babble hole and let the adults have a honest conversation on trying to reduce violence and end America’s fear based love of guns.
As with cars, people who are fascinated with guns seem to be compensating for something. The larger the rifle, the smaller the gun…..
And how does name calling allow for an adult conversation. People are trying to protect the rights given to them by their creator as written in the Constitution. History shows they have plenty to fear from oppressive governments.
That killer in Connecticut broke numerous laws by killing those kids, how is adding more laws and restrictions going to stop that?
Or how about the assault weapons ban during the time of Columbine.
Or perhaps the real statistics showing crime decreases when law abiding citizens have a means for defense.
I suppose I shouldn’t use logic, you clearly can’t comprehend it.
What about my right endowed by The All to not be shot?
As a gun owner myself, 20 gauge shotgun, I understand their place as a tool in a society. But when your logic tells you that more guns, more armed citizens on the streets and increased access to more powerful guns with larger capacity will make us safer…..you are doing logic wrong.
The NRA and its fanatic followers have taken the stance that any changes to gun laws are a slippery slope. The slippery slope argument has, itself, become a slippery slope.
Jason, I understand the defense of Rights, but a rabid love of guns in America has created a need for a more defined set of laws that regulate the sale of firearms. Our lack of attention to mental illness and economic strife has only fanned these flames.
We need to be able to have a discussion on what can be done to turn the tide of violence, but too many people have dug there heels in the dirt with the intent of blocking any tightening or actual enforcement of the laws regarding guns.
Susan Rubber Stamp is a puppet for those people. If I want advice from a puppet, I will watch Sesame Street.
Thank you for bringing up some valid arguments.
I know its counter intuitive, but statistics have shown that increased gun ownership does lower violent crime and decreased gun ownership increases violent crime. Britain and Australia are examples of increased violent crime when guns are banned. Another smaller example is Kennisaw, Ga vs Morton Grove Il. Morton Grove passed a gun ban in 1981 and saw a crime increase of 15%. Kennisaw Ga responded in 1982 with a law requiring every household to maintain a firearm. Their crime rate dropped by over 50%.
Sadly the NRA (I am not not a member) followers have been labeled as crazy gun fanatics by the media. It is an unfair characterization. I know many, and they are normal every day people who are only trying to preserve their rights. I”m sure in their 4.25 million members there are some extremest types, but I think that can be said for any group from PETA to the ACLU. Speaking of the ACLU, they push to defend our first amendment rights, I see no difference in the NRA and GOA defending our 2nd amendment rights.
The slippery slope argument may be used often, but there is real fear of the consequences when folks give up one inch of their liberties for security. People fear the loss of their guns, because the same people pushing the gun laws (Feinstein) have admitted to the desire to remove all weapons. Indeed some politicians have called for the confiscation of all guns.
I do agree we need to find the causes of these violent crimes and prevent the mentally ill from owning guns. The problem lies in the definition, who decides a mentally ill person and what measures are put in place to prevent an over classification of those people. Russia used psychiatrists to detain opposition at the turn of the 20th century.
We are all outraged by what happened in Conn. The sad truth is politicians are using this tragedy to push a gun control agenda that has little to do with the crime or preventing future crimes of this nature. Restricting rifles and high capacity magazines from law abiding citizens did not prevent Columbine, did not prevent the horror in Norway and would not have prevented what happened here in Aurora or in Conn. We need to look for other solutions than making criminals of those who have done nothing wrong.
You are using a false argument here. Your right to life is not impeded by my right to defend myself. They’re completely in line with each other.
You are just another person who has never considered the possibility that you may be your only defense. You think the police will protect you. You also believe the government will protect you.
And you apparently dont know enough about liberal leftist doctrine to know the end game when it comes to guns. They want complete disarmament. These minor compromises are not the end. They will wait until the next tragedy for them to pull at your heart strings in hopes it will override logic. It seems an easy trick.
From some of your comments it appears you have some fascination with psychology which we true scientists laugh at.
You’ve watched too much Oprah Winfrey haven’t you?
Stamper, you might confuse them with logic and they have already made-up their minds! Good article.