What is your opinion on guns?
This is an extremely controversial subject in the United States.
With all of the publicity over the last 20 years concerning high school shootings (Columbine), college shootings (Virginia Tech), and even political assassination attempts (Rep. Giffords), many liberal gun-control advocates are calling for a severe restriction on firearms.
People are afraid of guns.
Guns have a deserved reputation of being extremely deadly when not handled properly. According to JustFacts.com, there are roughly 300 million firearms in the United States, almost equivalent to one per citizen. A study by the government in 2006 showed that there are about 7 million criminals in the United States, or about 1 in every 32 Americans.
Anti-Gun liberals are quick to point out that guns in a home are easy tools to commit homicide. According to JustFacts.com, an interview with former felons across eleven states, over 40% chose previously not to commit a crime because they "knew or were convinced the person was carrying a gun."
The best argument a pro-gun advocate has is pure fact.
When England passed a law in 1968 that severely restricted private handgun ownership, homicides per million went from eight per hundred thousand to a high of eighteen per hundred thousand in 2007.
Conversely, in 1976 Congress passed a law banning all personal ownership of firearms. The homicide rate went from about 25 per hundred thousand to an unbelievable 80 per hundred thousand within a decade.
When the Supreme Court struck down this law as unconstitutional in 2008, the homicide rate fell alarmingly fast. From the high of 80 per hundred thousand in 1988, the rate has fallen to under 20 per hundred thousand according to the most recent government reports, and should continue to fall if the trend continues.
In "Right-to-Carry" states (states that allow citizens to conceal-carry handguns), the violent crime rate is 24% lower than the rest of the U.S., the murder rate is 28% lower, and the robbery rate is a whopping 50% lower.
Many anti-gun advocates always raise the question of "What happens when curious little kids find a parent's handgun and accidently shoot their friend while the parents aren't around?"
The answer to this is again: pure facts.
As evident, fatal accidents caused by ALL firearms (not just the easier-to-handle handguns) account for LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of all accidents in the United States.
Firearm's also were second-to-last in "Non-Fatal Accidents/Hospitalizations." Only dog bites requiring hospitalization were less likely.
Of all the accidents that occur with firearms, only about 5.4% happen to children under 14 years old.
The point I'm trying to make here, and the drive behind The Armistice Project, is simply understanding.
It's not my desire to beat "propaganda" into your head or make threats.
All I ask is that you understand the facts:
1. The more guns there are, the less crime there is.
2. Fatal and Non-Fatal Accidents were nearly-negligible in scope of other threats.
3. Banning guns from the citizen only takes the guns from the good, law-abiding citizen.
Don't believe that? Then do you believe that just because drugs are illegal, that nobody uses and abuses them?
If you ban guns, the black market will still be flooded with illegal weapons.
And when the honest Americans are undefended, that's when crime will get really bad.
Feel free to post counter arguments.
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