Posted on 05/13/2007 9:54:30 PM PDT by neverdem
April 16, the day the worst peacetime shooting in American history took place at Virginia Tech, will not be soon forgotten. But normalcy is slowly returning. The prayers and condolences have ended, the tragedy is no longer Page One news, classes have been resumed and the flag at the headquarters of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Virginia no longer flies at half mast.
The issue of gun control in our country will apparently again be glossed over. The presidential candidates, chiefly interested in votes, have mostly avoided the subject, and Virginia continues to allow the purchase of only one gun per month -- no deterrent for Seung-hui Cho.
Ours is a country, unique among industrialized societies, that has become insensitive to murder. How else to explain the "American gun culture" that tolerates some 14,000 firearm murders, including 400 children, in 2005 -- the last year statistics are available? Guns are easily purchased despite laws about waiting periods and background checks. The Seung-hui Cho story indicates the restrictions posed by the 1968 Gun Control Act are enforced only in the breach. Firearm murder rates 100 times higher in the United States than, for example, in Britain or Japan, are stark evidence our gun control laws are a joke.
What is not a joke is the absurd contention of the NRA gunslingers that if the Virginia Tech students had been armed there would have been far fewer victims. When would this powerful gun lobby have our students start arming themselves -- at the high school or college level or in kindergarten? No civilized nation legitimizes packing a pistol while attending school.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
One other thing, the Justice Department requires local Law Enforcement Agencies to report all fatal shootings as “murders”. Those numbers are never revised if it is determined to be justifiable homicide. So there is no telling how many of those “firearm murders” were acutally armed citizens defending themselves.
Interesting that a surgeon would think himself able to address firearms and the danger they pose to society. As he says, there are ~14,000 firearms related homicides in the US each year; however, physicians kill ~100,000 each year through “medical misadventure”. This is despite the fact that firearms far outnumber doctors and in most households, there are more unsecured guns than there are unsecured surgeons. Thus, exposure to guns is far less dangerous to one’s health than is exposure to the medical profession.
Determine the number of fatally shot perps by LEOs. The annual number of justifiable homicides caused by armed citizens is 4 - 5 times that of LEOs. I can't provide the citations, but I've read that at least twice. I'm sure if they were the same source, maybe John R. Lott Jr.
December 7 (or was it September 11?), the day of one of the worst peacetime attacks in American history, took place at Pearl Harbor (or was it New York?), and will not be soon forgotten. But normalcy is slowly returning. The prayers and condolences have ended, at least among D@mocrats, and the tragedy is no longer Page One news (thank god for our political party, particularly for the casualties - sorry about that - but not really - whatever...); classes have been resumed and the flag at the headquarters of the National Socialist D@mocrat(ic)[sic] American Party [otherwise known as the NSDAP] no longer flies at half mast.
The issue of our unwarranted aggression (we D@mocrats actually did vote for it, but PLEASE don't quote any of us now) in Iraq will apparently again be glossed over (thank our 'lucky stars'). The D@mocrat presidential candidates, chiefly interested in votes, have mostly avoided the subject of their war votes. And the People of these United Sates continue to allow their Representatives to vote for national suicide -- no deterrent for Osama or Ahmadinejad, or even a reincarnated Hitler or Stalin.
Ours is a country, not unique among supposedly free societies, that has become insensitive to both self-preservation and self-destruction. How else to explain the "Withdraw From Iraq Now" movement, which implicitly tolerates millions of perfectly preventable murders? Surrender is easily available, despite laws about congressional approval of war, and impeachment of the President. The Iraq story indicates that the restrictions posed by the United States Constitution are enforced only by REAL Conservative Republicans, and possibly by some Libertarians.
The fact that genocide might very well result if we withdraw from Iraq proves that D@mocrat Party policies are a joke. What is also a joke is the absurd contention of certain D@mocrat Presidential candidates that if the Iraqi government had been properly supported, there would have been far fewer victims (how much support did you want, you worthless @ssholes?). When would this powerful surrender lobby have our allies start protecting themselves -- at the high school or college level or in kindergarten?
NO CIVILIZED NATION LEGITIMIZES ABANDONING AN ALLY WHILE THEY ARE IN NEED.
All D@mocrats are hereby invited by me, personally, to 'kiss my sorry @ss.' With suitable protective measures (applied to their rat-infested appendages, NOT my backside), of course...
Hey Doc, Let's break out the medical malpractice figures.
Unknown in Colonial days were rival gangs engaged in drive-by shootings, drug-related homicide, road rage gunfire and, certainly, students shooting other students.
Perhaps similar outrages in Colonial days were dampened by the near certain knowledge that any number of gun owners would immediately put a stop to such criminality and they would be commended for doing so.
Oop's, that doesn't support your foolish position does it Doc.
Huh? The American constitution has no authority over European kingdoms. But the Americans can learn from them, then and today. Then, European kingdoms with very few exceptions (Switzerland) did not trust the people with arms. When Napolean swept through Europe, the French met only organized resistance from States. Last century, the 3rd Reich did not have to deal with popular resistance after the major armies of Europe were defeated. The Jews could be easily rounded up and exterminated thanks to the gunless culture of the both the Jews and the European culture as a whole.
By today's standards, crime was no problem in the largely rural New World whose inhabitants seldom locked their doors. Aside from rifles for hunting, firearms played a minor role in everyday life. Unknown in Colonial days were rival gangs engaged in drive-by shootings, drug-related homicide, road rage gunfire and, certainly, students shooting other students.
The taming of the Eastern wilderness puts the West to shame in terms of barbarity and savagery as perpeterated on the American colonists who lived along the frontier. [Other] savages are raiding the inner-city-frontier. Look at any major US City.
Consider the Rodney King riots in LA in the early 90's. The areas of the city spared were those known to be armed [eg Korean Swapmart]. The rioting in the Long Beach area was contained in the poorer downtown areas, because the surrounding areas were populated by armed home-owners.
Road rage and multiple victims shootings are rare compared to other crimes foisted on the disarmed. It is dishonest to group all of these classes of crimes together as if they are witnessed at the same rate. However, should the people be disarmed, we can look forward to rioting and mayhem on a larger scale as those factions interested in "social justice" attempt to collect on old grievances. I'm sure glad I do not still live in L.A.--can you espell "Reconquista?"
Our culture has gotten more savage, not less. Arms in the hands of potential victims are vital. To disarm these people is criminal.
Thank you Alex Gerbil.
You posted that you carry and then you posted a picture of someone else’s gun?
That’s just not cool.
I think there is something wrong with that picture. Most of the time I can tell the caliber by the spiderwebbed cuts from the bullet holes. Even accounting for that, those are some tiny holes.
I agree that the target looks punctured with .22s. Who is "Wiki?" I have a P239 but don't have pics of it. The point of the post was to illustrate an attractive gun that people can carry. Too many people think all firearms look like this:
Hey Alex.
Motor-vehicle deaths in 2005 totaled 47,200 and prolly half of those were children.
We had better ban cars. Think of the children! Wont you PLEASE think of the children?
Let me fix that one statement for him.
Ours is a country, unique among industrialized societies, that has become insensitive to murder. How else to explain the American LIBERAL culture that tolerates some 40 million abortions, ALL OF THEM CHILDREN!
We KNOW who the murderers are!
That was an outstanding response.
Way to stick it to the dopey doctor
In the state of Tx I believe the rate of CC holders who commit a crime with a firearm is like .04%
Wiki is Wikipedia.
That looks like a 40mm semi automatic service revolver.
Dr. Berger has also never heard of Goths, Norsemen, Barbary pirates, English and Spanish and French privateers, Huns, or Robin Hood. He ought to read up on a little history, he seems to know nothing about it.
Armed gangs were maruading long before colonial times, and long afterwards.
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