Pro-Gun Experts Prove Handguns Are Ineffective Self-Defense Tools(VPC BS ALERT)

VPC - ^ | November 19 | Naomi Seligman

[Dan from Michigan]

Pro-Gun Experts Prove Handguns Are Ineffective Self-Defense Tools, New VPC Study Reveals

WASHINGTON, DC—In response to the reported spike in handgun sales since the September 11th attacks, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released Unintended Consequences: Pro-Handgun Experts Prove That Handguns Are a Dangerous Choice For Self-Defense. The 90-page study demonstrates through the writings of pro-gun experts the ineffectiveness and dangers of handguns as alleged self-defense tools.

"While the gun industry has greedily hawked its wares in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy, they have worked even harder to keep hidden from the American public a secret they readily share among themselves—handguns pose grave dangers to their owners and families," states Tom Diaz, author of Unintended Consequences and VPC Senior Policy Analyst. "This study is comprised substantially of writings from pro-gun experts who readily admit handguns are basically impossible to use effectively in self-defense."

For example, Massad Ayoob, a legendary firearms instructor and respected pro-gun author has cautioned, "The uninitiated tend to make two kinds of mistakes with firearms: they either use guns when they shouldn't, or do not use them properly in the rare circumstances when they should." Ayoob has pointed out that, "The average American has more misconceptions about lethal force in the home than in any other self-defense situation. He not only has little understanding of his legal position under these circumstances; he has no idea of how to conduct himself if, by infinitesimal chance, the day comes when his home actually is turned into a battleground he must defend against armed criminals."

In fact, in 1998, for every time that a civilian used a handgun to kill in self-defense, 51 people lost their lives in handgun homicides alone. Yet, there have been an increasing number of news reports that women are a prime target for the gun industry as first-time handgun buyers. Left out of those reports is the fact that in 1999 for every one time a woman used a handgun to kill in self-defense, 120 women were murdered with handguns.

Handguns in the real world—as opposed to the industry's fantasy world of virtuous defensive gun use—make people who own them much less safe. The study reveals that according to leading pro-gun experts the overwhelming majority of people who own handguns:

are ignorant of—or ignore—basic handgun safety rules;

do not have the necessary handgun combat marksmanship skills to effectively defend themselves without harming innocent others; and,

are not prepared for the extreme physiological and psychological effects that the experts, many of whom have on-the-street law enforcement experience with firearms, agree inevitably occur in an armed life-or-death confrontation (the only situation in which lethal force is justified in self-defense).

[Aric2000]

I'll tell you a little story of what happened to me last night. Went out to a movie and dinner with my family for my wifes birthday.

Theater was crowded, so dropped the wife and kids off at the front and went to find a parking spot, found one and parked the rig and got out of the car. There was a car behind me, the guy jumps out of his car and starts yelling at me for taking his parking spot,(this guy was no where in sight). I apologize and show him a parking space in the next lane and ask him why he doesn't park there. He starts screaming obscenities at me, goes back to his car and pulls out one of those big D cell mag lights and starts to threaten to pound me with it.

This guys is like 6 foot and 200 lbs, I am small 5'9" 140 lbs, adrenaline starts running, I tell him to calm down, get back in his car and find a parking spot, because I am not worth the time. He gets really mad and starts to come at me with that damn flashlight. I tell him that I am giving him one more warning, that he had better get in his car and leave, or I would have to defend myself. He laughed at me, and said with what, so I told him. He didn't believe me, the idiot, I actually HAD to pull the damn thing out of the holster.

He very hurriedly apologized, got back in his car and left. I got back in my car and sat there to relax and calm down a bit. He was in the theater when I got in there with the armed guard standing next to him with this "I got you now" look on his face. THe guard took me aside, asked me if I had a gun, I said yes, he said he would have to call the police. So, now the family is IN the theater watching the movie and I'm dealing with Mr. Moron, and his brother. I said fine, and he said that he wanted me to give him my gun, I told him NO, we would discuss this further when the police got there.

The police arrived in about 10 minutes, and low and behold it is an officer that I know from the local gunshop. He looks at me and smiles, then asks the original guy what happened, the guy starts telling him this sob story about how I took the parking spot and then threatened him with a gun. THe Cop looked at me and his eyebreow went up unbelievingly, then he took me aside and asked me what happened. I told him the Whole thing, he took the guy out to his car, found the mag lite, and arrested the guy for threatening me with a deadly weapon. I PRESSED charges!! The armed guard apologized and went back to work and I missed half of Monsters Inc. ARGH!!!

Sorry for the rant, but this type of attitude in the above article pisses me off, who knows what could have happened to me if I had not had my handgun and CWP. I would probably be in a hospital and the guy that did it would be sitting in his living room with a beer laughing at me. Fact is, this guy will, from now on, keep his anger in check for fear of someone pulling a gun on his butt.

Oh and it turns out that this guy has a long record of Road Rage, has beat the snot out of a few people with that damn mag lite. This is the FIRST time that I have ever had to pull my gun on anyone, I have threatened, but never pulled it, never had to.

An armed society is a polite society, and if a person is dumb enough to buy a handgun without the proper training, well, sorry, that's their probelm. Don't take my rights away, because some Moron has killed themselves with a weapon they didn't know how to use!!

[wjcsux]

Ayoob has written many good books on effective use of firearms in self-defense. AS for these VPC idiots, it is just more of their same B.S. Ayoob has always stated that if a person makes the choice to defend himself with a firearm, he needs to be proficient with it. I doubt the VPC sent this article to him for his review.

[yarddog]

Good story.

Similar ones happen thousands of time each day. They very seldom get reported.

[Dan from Michigan]

I'm glad you pressed charges too. A mag flashlite CAN KILL someone, and has(Famous Malice Green case in Detroit).

That's an example of a defensive gun use.

[Holden Magroin]

Handguns are ineffective self-defense tools? Look, if you get plugged with a .45, I don't care if you're Superman or the Bionic Woman!

[Fiddlstix]

[sakic]

Ayoob is one of the most sensible people I've ever read anything about. His belief in responsible gun use and ownership is like a bright light cutting through morons on both sides of the guns issue in this country.

[cajun-jack]

this moron at the start of the thread said that for everytime a woman used a handgun for self defense, 120 women were killed by a handgun..makes me think the other 120 women should have been armed...i am not being silly or snide here, but if the author thinks that handguns are a poor excuse for self defense, let him/her try to creep into my house after 10p.m.. they will learn first hand just how effective a hand gun can be!!!!! p.s.. to everyone...buy all the guns you can afford and buy all the ammo to go with them you can afford!!!!!!! if you never need either, well, you have owned some pretty toys..if you do need them..you will thank GOD you had them!!!!!!!!!!! or you can dial 911 and never again be able to respond to this message board!!

[Aric2000]

It was a bit scary,(understatement) and yes, it is considered a deadly weapon when threatened to be used the way he was threatening me with it. I was afraid that I was gonna get my brains bashed in by this APE!!

There was no way I was gonna let this guy get away with it, AGAIN, I guess that 2 of his other victims DID NOT press charges, but a report was filed by the officer involved.

I was ALMOST a victim, if I had not had the means to defend myself, I would have been. If a person is going to buy a handgun, it is the purchasers responsibility to become trained and familiar with it's use.

I hit the range at least once a month, and have gotten very proficient, 2 1/2 inch shot group at 50 yards, not bad with a CZ-70!!

[scooter2]

Pro-Gun Experts Prove Handguns Are Ineffective Self-Defense Tools Tell that to the slime-ball who tries to break in to my house and gets to add a little more chlorine to the gene pool.

[Dan from Michigan]

Ayoob spoke at a few MCRGO meetings last year. His class is coming to Michigan right near my hometown in April.

I'll probably take it. It costs $700, which is a lot of money especially to me, but as MCRGO's exec director said to me, "How much is your life worth?".

[RogueIsland]

This study is comprised substantially of writings from pro-gun experts who readily admit handguns are basically impossible to use effectively in self-defense."

The study is correct. The following is therefore recommended for effective self-defense:

[Dan from Michigan]

Yankee fools! The only thing they're good for is target practice.

Hey, we got of pro-2a yanks here, especially in the midwest, and then there is Bill Clinton, Mary Landrieu, Ann Richards, Al Gore, etc down south as well.(And we got Mike Green, Alan Cropsey, etc up here which the South would be proud of) No one's perfect.

I love the South, and I love the country(where I'm from as well), but not all yanks are Hillary types. She couldn't win out here in Michigan either. She'd probably get fed to the bears....

This isn't a north/south issue, although it is a rural/urban(and especially rich suburb which are worse than inner cities) issue.

[Dan from Michigan]

And then there is the Mossberg 835 3 1/2 inch Mag.

No one gets up from that except maybe a grizzly.

[Brownie74]

".....handguns are basically impossible to use effectively in self-defense."

What a crock. If you know how to use them, they are very effective. Where do these characters come from? Certainly not from my part of Texas where we know how to use guns.

[Campion]

In fact, in 1998, for every time that a civilian used a handgun to kill in self-defense, 51 people lost their lives in handgun homicides alone. Yet, there have been an increasing number of news reports that women are a prime target for the gun industry as first-time handgun buyers. Left out of those reports is the fact that in 1999 for every one time a woman used a handgun to kill in self-defense, 120 women were murdered with handguns.

What VPC wants you to believe: "If I'm female and carry a gun, I'm 120 times more likely to be killed by an attacker than I am to kill an attacker."

But, notice, that is not what they actually said. It's what they want you to think they said.

What their statistic actually proves is this: Lots of unarmed women are killed by armed attackers. Many more unarmed, defenseless women are killed by armed attackers than armed attackers are killed by armed women, both because there are so few armed women, and because attackers run away when they discover their victims are armed, long before their victims have a chance to kill them. The solution to this problem is for more women to carry guns, and be properly trained in their use.

If gun control is such a great idea, why does VPC have to use statistics deceptively to convince people that it is?

[absalom01]

Intersting to see that the VPC is continuing with the "big lie" strategy. It's remarkable that they have any credibility left with the liberal press, but indeed they seem to. I'm waiting to see this written up in the LA slimes with some sort of anti-self defense spin - and I'll send my usual letter that won't get published. Kinda frustrating.

[DonPaulJones]

"As for Ayoob's comments, his solution isn't banning guns. Knowing what I know about him, his solution is TRAINING."

In my 25 years of going to gun shows, sporting goods stores, ranges, and gun clubs, the ONLY time that I have ever heard of Mr. Ayoob was in relation to was exciting and successful weapons training programs.

VPC is trying to slander Mr. Ayoob within the pro-rights, 2nd Amendment types (you know, REAL Americans). Too bad for them we're too smart for that. (At least I HOPE that we're too smart for that)

[Dan from Michigan]

Where do these characters come from?

Washington DC.