When I wrote yesterday’s column, which augmented my collection of satire about gun control, I had no idea I would feel compelled 24 hours later to address the issue from a serious perspective.
But two tragic events over the weekend underscore why the individual right of gun ownership is such an important part of the Constitution.
First, an anti-Semitic nutjob attacked Jews Saturday night.
At least five people have been stabbed in an attack at a synagogue in New York’s Rockland County. That attacker is now reportedly in custody after fleeing the scene. …The suspect has been identified as 37-year-old Grafton Thomas, of Greenwood Lake, New York, in Orange County.
Thomas, covering his face with a scarf, reportedly entered the building and pulled out a machete to attack the victims during a Chanukah celebration. Thomas reportedly chased after and stabbed victims as they fled the synagogue before running off and escaping in a gray Nissan Sentra. …This incident happened amid a rash of anti-Semitic attacks this week. …“We will NOT allow this to become the new normal. We’ll use every tool we have to stop these attacks once and for all. The NYPD has deployed a visible and growing presence around Jewish houses of worship on the streets in communities like Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Boro Park,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio added in a tweet.
Needless to say, Mayor de Blasio is being dishonest when he claims he will “use every tool…to stop these attacks.”
Like politicians in Europe, he’s a dogmatic opponent of private gun ownership and believes Jews shouldn’t be allowed to defend themselves.
Fortunately, Jews who live outside New York City still enjoy some civil liberties and are now prepared to thwart attackers.
More power to these people, who are the Orthodox Jewish versions of these good ol’ boys from Texas.
For what it’s worth, I suspect dirtbags will be less likely to target the Jews in Rockland Country.
There was another attack at a house of worship over the weekend.
Though this report from Texas has a happy ending.
Police said they received a call shortly before 10 a.m. local time about gunshots at the West Freeway Church of Christ, in a suburb a less than an hour from downtown Fort Worth. After the suspect entered the church and fired a weapon,
“a couple of members of the church returned fire,” killing the alleged shooter, state officials said at a news conference. …Gov. Greg Abbott (R) condemned the “evil act of violence” in a statement, adding: “Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life.” …New laws that took effect in 2019 allow Texans with concealed-carry permits to bring guns to places of worship unless a sign is posted prohibiting it.
The happy ending is that the bad guy was killed by armed members of the congregation, presumably minimizing the death toll.
I’ve joked before about Texans and guns, but we have a real-world case of how lives are saved. And what happened over the weekend wasn’t the first time.
Let’s now shift from anecdotes to data.
A few years ago, John Lott looked at the evidence about gun-free zones, armed citizens, and mass shootings.
…not one of the mass shootings since at least 2000…would’ve been stopped by these laws. Nor would renewing the federal “assault weapons” ban solve the problem; even research paid for by Bill Clinton’s administration found no evidence the ban reduced any type of crime. …a young ISIS sympathizer planned a shooting at one of the largest churches in Detroit. An FBI wire recorded him explaining why he had picked the church as a target:
“It’s easy, and a lot of people go there. Plus people are not allowed to carry guns in church.” …PoliceOne, a private organization with 450,000 members (380,000 full-time active law enforcement and 70,000 retired), polled its members in 2013 shortly after the Newtown, Conn., massacre. Eighty percent of respondents said allowing legally armed citizens to carry guns in places such as Newtown and Aurora would have reduced the number of casualties. …According to police and prosecutors, there have been dozens of cases of permit holders clearly stopping what would have been mass public shootings. It’s understandable these killers avoid places where they can’t kill a large number of people. Research I have conducted with economist Bill Landes looked at 13 different types of gun-control laws. Right-to-carry laws were the only type that made a difference in the rate and severity of these mass public shootings. …even the most ardent gun-control advocate would never put “Gun-Free Zone” signs on their homes. Let’s finally stop putting them elsewhere.
Amen.
John Lott is an invaluable resource on these issues, as is Jacob Sullum.
Though it’s really an issue of common sense.
Mass shooters are evil, but they’re calculatingly evil. Even if they’re willing to die, they want a high body count. Armed citizens make that less likely.
The bottom lines is that we can save lives by making sure law-abiding people have the right to keep and bear arms.
What happened this past weekend simply provides us with more evidence.
[…] not forget that there are real – indeed, deadly – consequences when governments impose policies that only disarm law-abiding […]
[…] And I’m sure it will work just as well as signs declaring gun-free zones. […]
[…] obvious takeaway is that criminals prefer unarmed victims (as do dictators, terrorists, mass shooters, […]
from Bearing Arms:
“Anti-gun politicians and gun control activists are busily crafting a narrative that Monday’s Lobby Day rally at the state capitol is going to be a disaster of epic proportions; a rampaging mob of militia members, white supremacists, and “gun extremists” intent on starting the Second Civil War or at least another Charlottesville.”
“The Desperate Smearing Of Virginia Gun Owners”
By Cam Edwards
https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2020/01/16/desperate-smearing-va-gun-owners/
“Gun control sugar daddy and Democrat presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was asked on Thursday about the shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, and took the opportunity to blast the crazy idea that the “average” American has the right to bear arms for self defense.”
“Bloomberg: We Can’t Just Let “Average” Americans Have Guns”
by Cam Edwards
https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2020/01/03/bloomberg-we-cant-just-let-average-americans-have-guns/
“Va. Lawmaker Who Called Pro-Gun Voters ‘Children’ on Hot Mic Just Gave an Ominous Sign of What’s to Come”
BY VICTORIA TAFT
https://pjmedia.com/trending/va-lawmaker-who-called-pro-gun-voters-children-on-hot-mic-just-gave-an-ominous-sign-of-whats-to-come/
“A bill from Delegate Mark Levine (D) mandates all Virginia AR-15 owners acquire a license of ownership from the state.
Those who do not acquire a license yet remain in possession of AR-15s will be labeled felons.”
“Democrat Bill Mandates Licensing of All Virginia AR-15 Owners”
By AWR HAWKINS
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/09/democrat-bill-mandates-licensing-of-all-virginia-ar-15-owners/
“The Virginia governor’s new budget reveals funding for a new team of anti-gun cops. Democrats showed their intent to turn Virginia from a state that broadly respects the rights of its residents to bear arms to one that seizes and destroys those guns right after the November elections.”
“VA Gov. Northam’s Proposed Gun Confiscation Squad”
By: Scott D. Cosenza, Esq.
https://www.libertynation.com/va-gov-northams-proposed-gun-confiscation-squad/
“Bloomberg: We Can’t Just Let “Average” Americans Have Guns”
Posted by Cam Edwards
https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2020/01/03/bloomberg-we-cant-just-let-average-americans-have-guns/
“2019 Was a Bad Year for the “Only Cops Should Have Guns” Narrative”
by Ryan McMaken
https://mises.org/wire/2019-was-bad-year-only-cops-should-have-guns-narrative
There’s ENORMOUS proof that allowing citizens to defend themselves decreases violent crime.
Allowing concealed carry in identical settings immediately CHOPPED violent crime by 47.7% while the gun ban INCREASED violent crime by 9.5%. These very predictable results came because Colorado State University allowed Concealed Carry on campus while the gun ban at University of Colorado’s Boulder campus stopped law-abiding citizens defending themselves from violent criminals. Both the crime decrease in the armed campus and the increase in the disarmed one continued over the next 10+ years.
The study also showed that armed citizens also deter rape. These results supporting the value of concealed carry and the right to armed self-defense need to be widely publicized. see the full results and comment:
www.DiscourageCriminals.net/concealed-carry-study
There is a very good poster gong around. It says:
You’re a sitting duck
in a gun free zone.
Has a picture of a carnival shooting gallery.
[…] Protecting the Innocent: Gun-Free Zones vs. Armed Citizens […]
Reblogged this on Gds44's Blog.
The shame of this is that the leftists- have- by their language and positions- made churches targets for those who intend to do evil. They need to learn to d9al back the rhetoric. Churches are not evil. Yes, we can all find many things wrong with organized religion. But the root of the faith involved is love.