There have been so many recent shootings and gun violence and events that involve guns in the last few months, it really makes me wonder- why? At least for me it does. And I for myself have come to a couple different thoughts.
First- Have there really been "more", or is it just being publicized more by the media? And if it is just being publicized more, why? First- Media- They have immense control over society. If every news channel began to run stories about how 'armed citizens' stopped crimes, and never did any stories about violent crime that included guns, would "society's" perspective on guns be different? My opinion is absolutely yes. The media has the power to change minds, and influence opinions and make things happen. All they need is an agenda. Why is there no coverage on any of the law abiding citizens that are following the law every day, and all the crimes that are stopped every day thanks to lawfully armed citizens? Secondly- Have their been more? It's not even really a "gun" issue, it's a "people" issue, and this really is the core of crime and mentality of society right now. There is no accountability for any crime, therefore there is no real "deterrent" for people to not commit crime. Lets look at some stats, because they don't lie:
2009 - Total aggregated assaults - 701,961. Committed by/with a handgun: 146,733. That means that of all the violent crimes committed in 2009, 80% were committed WITHOUT a gun. (From the FBI Website: https://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_22.html)
2013 - Total aggregated assaults - 659,363. Committed by/with a handgun: 142,327. That means that of all the violent crimes committed in 2013, 79% were committed WITHOUT a gun (pretty much the exact same). (From the FBI Website: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-22/table_22_aggravated_assault_by_state_types_of_weapons_2013.xls)
Lets go a little farther back, just for fun. The farthest I can go back (with the same chart info as above for the same comparison is ) is 2004 (https://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/index.html).
In 2004, the report shows that of all violent crimes committed with a weapon, only 30% were with a gun, the rest 70% were committed without a gun. So pretty much, there has consistently been about a 20% gun violence rate over the last 11 years. So why is the media so focused on this issue now, and why are they making it like this is something that's SO MUCH on the rise?
My personal feelings- I think there is more going on in the government than what any regular US Citizen, the media, and society is willing or probably wanting to admit. Why would the government be bold faced LYING to the citizens about the amount of crime committed by guns, and the way that crimes are committed? The media is trying to brainwash us into believing that there is a gun issue when there isn't. What should we do to "fix" the problem? Well more gun laws and restrict who can have a gun of course, right?? Wrong. Once all the US Citizens willingly give up their guns, who's going to protect us?? The police?? Think about this- criminals - by definition- are criminals. They do not follow the law, so if there's a law that says "you can't have a gun" do you REALLY think a criminal is going to follow the law? So in this perfect "disarmed" world, where police are the only ones with guns- and the military (that is controlled by the government of course) who's going to stop the 6 armed men that break into your home to rape, rob, and kill you and your family? Let's pretend you are able to run to the phone and actually have time to call 9-1-1 and call for help, and have time to explain the situation before being discovered and horrific things happen to you... How long will it take to have the police arrive? On average, it takes police approximately 8-10 minutes to respond to a call (not only is this a statistic, I know this from personal experience as well)... now set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes, and wait, and think, and imagine ALL the things that could be done to you, your wife, your husband, your children, in those 10 minutes. While you're thinking about that also realize the average time it takes an armed law abiding citizen to respond to a break-in is approximately 2 minutes. This is in no way meant as a disrespect to law enforcement, as they do an amazing job (despite what the media has recently portrayed, which I really want to talk about soon in another post). But the fact is, there is on average, 2 police officers to every THOUSAND people (http://www.theiacp.org/Portals/0/pdfs/Officer-to-Population-Ratios.pdf), so yeah, they may be a little busy and it may take them a few minutes to get to your house! And IF they make it in time and you're still alive, they usually come in pairs... 2 against 6, or even 5, or even 3, or even 1. My point is there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a LEGAL US CITIZEN who has passed all background checks, is a law abiding citizen, to own/carry a gun. NOTHING. It is our constitutional right, and it is not to be infringed upon (http://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-ii).
Furthermore- and lastly- I just leave people with the question- WHY would the government that has promised to protect you and sworn to keep us safe, be striving to put us into a position where we can no longer protect ourselves? And worse- why are people not standing up for what our rights are?! I could go on for hours on this, it's something that means a lot to me, but I will leave it at this- This is OUR country and we have the RIGHT to protect ourselves, especially when the government wont do it for us.
LivD
oliviadegent@gmail.com
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