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AR-15s Save Lives -- Here’s Proof
Townhall ^ | 12/21/2012 | Celia Bigelow

Posted on 12/21/2012 5:42:02 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Why does the media make it so difficult to find news stories of Americans employing guns--more specifically, semi-automatic guns (including AR-15s)--to save their lives?

I set out to write a piece this morning to highlight heroic instances in which people have used semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles in desperate attempts to defend themselves and others. To my surprise, Google didn’t take me very far.

Conservatives know that the mainstream media has engaged in a biased war on the Second Amendment over the last few decades, but this morning’s search opened my eyes to the extremity of their bias.

Instead of a quick Google search, it took me three hours of investigative research to find the tremendous instances of where these demonized weapons have saved lives.

Here are three heroic instances that involved armed-defenders that the media scarcely reported on:

On October 1, 1997, after fatally stabbing his mother at their home in Pearl, Mississippi, 16-year-old Luke Woodham opened fire at Pearl High School, killing two and injuring seven. When Vice Principal Joel Myrack--a US Army Reserve Commander--caught wind of the attack, he quickly ran to his car and grabbed his Colt 1911 .45 semi-automatic pistol. Mr. Myrack was able to stop and detain the shooter until police arrived on scene--without having to shoot his gun.

On January 16, 2002, 43-year-old Peter Odighizuwa opened fire at Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. Three people were killed and three were injured. Two students that witnessed the shooting ran to their vehicles to retrieve their firearms—a 9mm pistol and a .375 Magnum pistol. The two armed students and one unarmed student approached the shooter, demanded that he drop his gun, and proceeded to secure him to the ground.

On June 29, 2010, a 15-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister were home alone in Houston, Texas when two burglars attempted to enter their home. Around 2:45pm, the burglars unsuccessfully tried to kick open both the front and back doors. They proceeded to knock out a window, when the 15-year-old--in defense of himself and his younger sister--grabbed his Father’s AR-15 assault rifle and shot at one of the burglars. The intruders fled the scene.

The Vice Principal, the two armed students, and the 15-year-old are heroes, yet the American people don’t know who they are because the mainstream media neglected to these tremendous stories.

In fact, out of the 280 stories written about the law school shooting, only four mentioned the students were armed with guns.

The mainstream media’s sole purpose in reporting on devastating shootings is to drive their anti-gun political agenda that places innocent gun-carrying people and heroes in the same category as crazed-murderers.

This is why the general public is oblivious to statistical reality. Do you ever hear the media reporting that 99.9 percent of all guns in America are not used in violent crimes or that 99.8 percent of all guns in America are not used in crimes at all? No.

You also won’t see them report on these statistics:

· The ratio of guns used in situations of self-defense compared to crime is 4:1

· After guns were banned in Australia, crime rates spiked 44 percent

· 98 percent of the time a gun is used in self-defense it isn’t shot

· Only 4 percent of guns used in crimes were obtained legally.

Additionally, the media avoids reporting the crime statistics of cities with the least gun control—the same cities whose crime rates are consistently and significantly below the national average. Why do we never hear Kennesaw, Georgia reported in the news?

The small Georgia city passed a law in 1982 that required each household to keep a loaded firearm. After the law was passed, burglaries dropped from 65 in 1982 to 26 in 1983, and down to 11 in 1984. In 2010, Kennesaw’s violent crime rate was 85 percent lower than the national rate. The property crime rate was 57 percent lower than the national rate.

I am not saying that American’s should be required to own firearms, but facts don’t lie: American’s are safer when they are given the choice to defend themselves.

The media is insisting that we have an open discussion on gun-laws after the Newtown incident—and we should. But having an open discussion is reporting all the facts and all the relevant stories. Before they tell us we need to have an open discussion, they need to do more open reporting.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ar15; banglist; guncontrol; gunrights; guns; secondamendment
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1 posted on 12/21/2012 5:42:11 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Whorealdo (Geraldo) was just on Foxnews pushing for banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

He actually stated he was a expert on firearms. As usually he shouts down any contrary opinions.


2 posted on 12/21/2012 5:48:57 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The FBI murder statistics do not differentiate between types of rifles. There are about 100 million rifles in the United States. In 2009, the last year in which numbers have been reported, there were 13,636 murders. Guns were used to murder 9,146 people. Hands and feet were used to murder 801 people. Blunt objects were used to murder 611 people. Rifles were used to murder 348 people, and that is all rifles, of which assault rifles are only a small fraction. Assault rifles are used so infrequently in homicides that many police departments almost never see them; in 2009, there were nine states that did not have a single murder committed with any rifle.

So why is the left so intent on banning rifles that are the most suitable for militia use (clearly protected by the U.S. Constitution), when they are used so rarely in murder?

The FBI has released their 2007-2011 “Murder Victims by Weapon” report. The results are contradictory to anti-gun industry claims that relaxing the ban on assault weapons will cause more crime.

The report indicates you are more likely to be killed by hands or feet than by a rifle or shotgun.

Since 2007 there has been a 16.2% decline in murders committed with personal weapons which are defined as “hands, fists, feet etc.” The number of murders of this type in 2011 totaled 728.

While gun ownership has dramatically increased since 2007, murders for both the shotgun and rifle categories have seen declines faster than the rate of personal weapons related crime.

The rates of decline for the shotgun and rifle categories are 22.1% and 28.7% respectively. In 2011 there were 356 shotgun murders and 323 rifle murders for a total of 679 murders.

Total murders by hands and feet in 2011 exceed the total number of murders by shotgun and rifle. Does that mean gloves and shoes need regulation because they are concealing deadly weapons? No, but it does mean that there is no need for any further regulation of long arms.

http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/27/fbi-crime-stats-you-are-more-likely-to-be-killed-by-hands-and-feet-than-by-a-shotgun-or-rifle/


3 posted on 12/21/2012 5:52:07 AM PST by TurboZamboni (Looting the future to bribe the present)
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To: SeekAndFind

Well when you take all the emotion out of it all the remains are facts, which the libtards have a tough time doing.


4 posted on 12/21/2012 5:57:12 AM PST by Rappini (Veritas vos Liberabit)
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To: SeekAndFind
M-16s would save more.
5 posted on 12/21/2012 5:57:50 AM PST by Happy Rain (Which fires first? The gun or the 2nd Amendment haters?)
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To: driftdiver

He’s an expert on Al Capone’s vault.


6 posted on 12/21/2012 5:58:34 AM PST by TurboZamboni (Looting the future to bribe the present)
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To: SeekAndFind

7 posted on 12/21/2012 5:59:03 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Travis McGee
Gun free zones are baited fields.
8 posted on 12/21/2012 6:01:47 AM PST by Happy Rain (Which fires first? The gun or the 2nd Amendment haters?)
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To: driftdiver

A couple of days ago BOR started his program discussing the AK15 rifles, until his host politely corrected him. First time I have ever seen BOR turn beet red. He mixed up the AK47 with the AR15-—he kept saying AK15.


9 posted on 12/21/2012 6:03:17 AM PST by Eye of Unk (A Civil Cold War in America is here, its already been declared.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Awesome heroes!


10 posted on 12/21/2012 6:09:26 AM PST by fabian (" And a new day will dawn for those who stand long, and the forests will echo in laughter")
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To: SeekAndFind
I recall in the Gabby Gifford incident that a man with a conceal weapon approached the scene. Total confusion but the shooter was already taken down and disarmed by bystanders. One of the bystander confiscated the gun and took the clip out.

As the the gentleman with the conceal weapon approached, he saw a man holding a gun, however, he did not know if this man was the shooter.... instead of recklessly firing his weapon he had the sense to notice the clip was disengaged from the pistol. He never drew his weapon but grab the man... he was able to ascertain he was not the shooter.

The story here is that an armed citizen did not make the situation worse, but used great judgement.

11 posted on 12/21/2012 6:13:52 AM PST by 11th Commandment (http://www.thirty-thousand.org/)
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To: Eye of Unk

I want one of those.

Bunch of buffoons; they want to ban hardware based on function but don’t bother to educate themselves even to a basic level.

I bet BOR knows his luffa sponges backwards and forwards.


12 posted on 12/21/2012 6:16:23 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver

There is a reason it’s an AR 15 and not 16; it is almost an assualt rifle.


13 posted on 12/21/2012 6:24:27 AM PST by csmusaret (I will give Obama credit for one thing- he is living proof that familiarity breeds contempt.)
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To: TurboZamboni

bookmark


14 posted on 12/21/2012 6:27:05 AM PST by corlorde (forWARD of the state)
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To: SeekAndFind

.375 magnum? OOOHHH, I want one!


15 posted on 12/21/2012 6:27:59 AM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed &water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS, NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: csmusaret

Do you mind if I throw that up on my facebook page?


16 posted on 12/21/2012 6:31:53 AM PST by ßuddaßudd (>> F U B O << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
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To: csmusaret

and yet its still an under powered cartridge for most hunting purposes


17 posted on 12/21/2012 6:34:57 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: SeekAndFind
After all the bizarre events of the last few minutes it didn’t seem strange to me when I peeked around the office doorway to see one professor shooting a deer rifle at the top of tower while the other fed him ammunition.
18 posted on 12/21/2012 6:36:35 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: ßuddaßudd

No, but correct the spelling of assault before you do. I am still trying to teach my keyboard how to spell.


19 posted on 12/21/2012 6:42:23 AM PST by csmusaret (I will give Obama credit for one thing- he is living proof that familiarity breeds contempt.)
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To: All
An American CAIR Islamonazi was visiting his Hamas Islamonazi cousin in Gaza when he was asked if he wanted to go hunting.
Curious about the local custom he replied, “Sure.”

Sneaking close to an Israeli settlement they spotted some young children kicking a ball in a school playground. The Hamas Islamonazi unshouldered his AK-72 and started shooting at the kids.
“Wait a minute!” Shouted the American, “What by the Prophet's beard are you doing?!?!”
“Whats your problem?” The Hamas Islamonazi answered in amazement,”They are Jewish pigs and dogs and Allah has given the faithful an unrestricted hunting license to send them all to Hell!”

The American Islamonazi thought on this a while but not for long for among the children were armed teachers who returned fire and made them flee like the yellow shaved ape bastards they were.
“Damn! Hardly had time to wing even one of them!” cursed the Hamas Islamonazi.

Back in the US at the conclusion of a CAIR meeting the American Islamonazi asked his friend if he would like to go hunting. Curious about what his comrade meant he said “Sure.”
They went down a city street when they came to a Chinese restaurant full of hungry Jews...on the entrance door was the usual “not allowed” sign with the image of a pistol in the center.
The American Islamonazis pulled out his AR-15 and started shooting when dozens of cops came out of nowhere and arrested him before he could murder more than twenty or so.
Outraged, the Islamonazi exclaimed, “What is this!?!? They are Jewish pigs and dogs and Allah has given the faithful an unrestricted license to send them all to Hell!!!
“That may all be well and good to you asshole!” said a police officer, “but this here is a baited field!”

20 posted on 12/21/2012 7:02:04 AM PST by Happy Rain ("Gun free zones are baited fields.")
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