Ban Handguns Now (VPC launches new web site)

Violence Policy Center ^ | March 28th 2002 | VPC press release

[Drew68]

VPC Launches New Web Site, www.banhandgunsnow.org, in Conjunction With Release of Paperback Edition of Latest Book, Every Handgun Is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns

WASHINGTON, DC—In conjunction with release of the paperback edition of its most recent book, Every Handgun is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns (The New Press, 2001), the Violence Policy Center (VPC) today launched a new citizen-action web site, www.banhandgunsnow.org. Each year handguns claim more than 20,000 American lives in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings. The unique qualities that make handguns ideally suited for violent death and injury—concealability coupled with lethality—are illustrated daily in American homes and as far away as the Paris suburbs, where yesterday eight were killed and 19 wounded by a French citizen wielding a legally possessed handgun.

Josh Sugarmann, VPC executive director and author of the book, states, "The single bloody thread that runs through our nation's gun death and injury crisis is the easy accessibility we allow our citizens to the most lethal categories of firearms, with handguns at the top of the list. After each horrific shooting a predictable pattern emerges, we quickly look for a loophole to be plugged, a limited law that could be better enforced, or other `common sense' solutions, while never stepping back to look at the big picture: the free flow of guns—and in particular handguns—in our nation. America's gun violence problem will not be solved by licensing and registration, trigger locks, or lamentations over the evil in men's hearts. Tragic shootings are America's future until we eliminate handguns, the tools that make such violence possible."

The new VPC web site—which contains studies, analyses, survey data, and useful links—will be updated continuously. Banhandgunsnow.org is launched with the recognition that more than 30 percent of the American public supports a ban on handguns, with this number rising to as high as 50 percent in the wake of horrific shootings like 1999's Columbine massacre. Adds Sugarmann, "Our goal is simple: to engage and activate dedicated gun control supporters. Banhandgunsnow.org will give voice to gun control advocates who have grown weary of limited half-measures that may offend few, but fail to accomplish much."

Every Handgun is Aimed at You: The Case For Banning Handguns covers a wide range of issues in 10 chapters, including: An Introduction to Handguns; The History of Handguns; Handguns and Suicide; Handguns and Self-Defense; Handguns and Crime; Handguns and Women; Handguns and Youth; Handguns and Minorities; Handguns in Public; and, The Case for Banning Handguns. The book is available at bookstores nationwide.

[Drew68]

I didn't think a "Barf Alert" was necessary since this is a VPC press release and the title pretty much gives away that it has a Barf Factor of 100%

I hope this hasn't been posted. I did a search on "handguns" and couldn't find this article.

Bon Apetite!

[Drew68]

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[coloradan]

America's gun violence problem will not be solved by licensing and registration, trigger locks, or lamentations over the evil in men's hearts.

Well, we agree there. Bravo on the no licensing and registration! And the lamentations don't work, you gotta keep evil ones in jail, whether you lament evil or not.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Every Handgun Is Aimed at You

Not the ones I'm holding.

[copycat]

Each year handguns claim more than 20,000 American lives in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings.

Anybody know how many lives are SAVED by handguns each year?

[goldstategop]

The gun banners have finally shed the pretense that all they seek is "reasonable" gun control. They want to ban private ownership of guns period as their book and new web site make clear.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Handguns and Self-Defense;

I don't the VPC's book will have a very long chapter dedicated to that subject.

[Dan from Michigan]

That a boy Sugarmann, you just keep talking.

[Sword_Svalbardt]

Sounds like the standard liberal swill to me. Nothing fancy, just the standard contiuous montone monologue. Hoping to catch somebody's ear when they are weakest, or misinformed.

When the guns are gone, will they put a hold on axes, knives, hammers, garrottes, etc. Maybe even a hold on terrorist flown airplanes, eh the constitution!? Get my drift?

Sword

[Mark Turbo]

Josh Sugarmann? I don't think so.

[Noumenon]

Molon labe, Josh baby, molon labe.

[mvpel]

My comment to Josh Sugarman: "Come on over and get them."

[timm22]

This has got to be a joke, or a hoax. Time and time again, I have heard the major gun control organizations tell me that they are NOT gun-grabbers intent on outlawing gun ownership. All they want is "common-sense" gun control.

I mean, come on, ol' Josh Sugarmann and Sarah Brady wouldn't lie, would they?

[Drew68]

The gun banners have finally shed the pretense that all they seek is "reasonable" gun control.

YEP!

That's why I posted this. Normally posting something from VPC is like posting something from Democratic Underground. I mean really, what's the point? We already know from the source that it's going to be 180 degrees from reality.

But when I saw this --especially the title of the web site, I thought, "Finally! These SOBs come clean and admit their true agenda." Of course, we knew all along that this was their goal, but many Americans were saying that nothing was wrong with automobile-like registration.

This is going to hurt the VPC bad! Their agenda is clearly laid out for all to see. The NRA couldn't have asked for a better Easter basket of goodies.

[Dan from Michigan]

VPC has ALWAYS called for a total ban.

[Drew68]

This has got to be a joke, or a hoax.

Nope. But they're going to soon wish it was.

I'll wager six months from now, the VPC does a major backpedal on this. With funds all but depleted, they'll announce that "we didn't really mean ban all handguns. Really, we didn't! It was just a figure of speech. Please believe us and fill our coffers. Pleaseeee...

[baseballfanjm]

I'll bet that 20,000 deaths is fuzzy math anyhow.

[Dimensio]

Each year handguns claim more than 20,000 American lives in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings

1) I'd like to see a source for that.

2) If I have a handgun and shoot someone in a clear case of self-defense, it is still a "homocide". It's a justifiable homocide and I likely won't face criminal charges over it, but it's still by definition a homocide. Of course most people equate homocide with criminal act, so a person with no intellectual honesty might present a number of "homocides" without regard to whether or not they were justifiable as "proof" that guns are responsible for some number of crimes.

[Drew68]

VPC has ALWAYS called for a total ban.

Are you sure? I was under the impression that they had tempered their message to the "reasonable licensing and registration" song and dance.

Aren't they in cahoots with Brady now?