Second Amendment and Gun Rights

Conservative Talking Points strongly supports the 2nd Amendment which documents our God given right to defend ourselves by all means.  Liberals do not accept the responsibility of self-defense nor do they even acknowledge the existence of evil.  We as conservative do and we will NEVER give up our guns.

 

Mass Gun Killings Mostly In ‘Gun-Free’ Zones

·        The theater in Aurora Colorado which was the scene of the Batman movie shooting leaving 12 dead and 59 injured, was a ‘gun-free’ zone.  Dan Myers with Cinemark Corporate stated that Cinemark’s official policy is that “ONLY LEO’S CAN CARRY INTO THEIR THEATERS - NO CONCEALED WEAPONS”.  (Source: US News – July 2012)

·        US Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 7 and injured 20 at Fort Hood in Texas, attacked unarmed soldiers because they were located in an area that was a ‘gun-free’ zone.  Yes, a ‘gun-free’ zone on a military base – Asinine! (Source: Fox News – November 2009)

·        A typical ‘gun-free’ zone in a school was a deadly killing ground that left 32 dead and 17 wounded at Virginia Tech back in 2007.  (Source: Investors.com – July 2012)

 

Guns vs Doctors

·        The number of physicians in the  U.S.  is 700,000. Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000. Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171. (Source: U.S.  Dept of Health  and  Human Services. – Jan 2011)

·        The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000 (Yes, that's 80 million). The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500. The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188. (Source: FBI – Jan 2011)

·        So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

 

Right to Carry (John R. Lott, PhD)

·        Violent crimes in states without Right to Carry laws is 81% higher than states with those laws.

·        On the average, when counties of at least 600,000 people enable their citizens to have concealed weapons, the murder rate drops by 12%.

 

Assault Weapons (John R. Lott, PhD)

·        In 1994 before the Federal assault weapons ban you were eleven (11) times more likely to be beaten to death than to be killed by an "assault weapon".

·        Nationally, "assault weapons" were used in 1.4% of crimes involving firearms and 0.25% of all violent crime before the enactment of any national or state "assault weapons" ban. In many major urban areas (San Antonio, Mobile, Nashville, etc.) and some entire states (Maryland, New Jersey, etc.) the rate is less than 0.1%

·      Even weapons misclassified as "assault weapons" (common in the Federal and California assault weapons confiscations) are used in less than 1% of all homicides.

·        Los Angeles: In 1998, of 538 documented gun incidents, only one (0.2%) involved an "assault weapon".

·        San Francisco: In 1998 only 2.2% of confiscated weapons were "assault weapons".

·        San Diego: Between 1988 and 1990 only 0.3% of confiscated weapons were "assault weapons".

·        For the USA between 1980 and 1994 only 2% of confiscated guns were "assault weapons".

·        Just over 2% of criminals that used guns used "assault weapons".

·        Between 1988 and 1990 only 1.4% of recovered crime weapons are models covered under the 1994 assault weapons ban.

·        Between 1988 and 1990 only 1% of police officers murdered were killed using "assault weapons". They were twice as likely to be killed with their own handgun.

·        Between 1988 and 1990 only 0.15% of over 4,000 weapons confiscated in Los Angeles in one year were converted, and only 0.3% had any evidence of an attempt to convert them for fully automatic.

 

Gun Control History (Source: Paul Harvey)

·        In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953 about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

·        In 1911 Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

·        Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945 a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.

·        China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

·        Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

·        Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

·        Cambodia established gun control in 1956 From 1975 to 1977 one million 'educated' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

·        Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.

·     Just after the first 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by a new 1996 law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, the program cost Australian taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in:

·        Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent

·        Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent

·        Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!

·        In the state of Victoria alone homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent.

 

Founding Father's Quotes on The Second Amendment

·        The Constitution preserves "the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation. . . (where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." -- The Federalist, No. 46  -  James Madison

·        "If circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in discipline and the use of arms, who stand ready to defend their rights and those of their fellow citizens." -- The Federalist, No. 29 - Alexander Hamilton

·        "Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them." -- Thoughts On Defensive War, 1775 - Thomas Paine

·        "And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms; or to raise standing armies, unless necessary for the defense of the United States, or of some one or more of them; or to prevent the people from petitioning, in a peaceable and orderly manner, the federal legislature, for a redress of grievances; or to subject the people to unreasonable searches and seizures of their persons, papers or possessions." - Samuel Adams, Debates of the Massachusetts Convention of 1788

·        We established however some, although not all its [self-government] important principles. The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed;  ---Thomas Jefferson to John Cartwright, 1824. Memorial Edition 16:45, Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.

·        A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks --- Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.

·        One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them. --- Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1796. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.

·        No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.  --- Thomas Jefferson: Draft Virginia Constitution, 1776.

 

Gun Statistics (Source: More Guns = Less Crime : John R Lott)

·        98% of people who use a gun defensively only have to brandish it and not fire a shot.

·        Hot burglaries run almost 50% in Canada and Britain both with strict gun control compared to only 13% in the USA.

·        More kids die in bicycle accidents each year than by all types of firearm accidents.

·        There are an estimated 3.7 million defensive uses of guns per year.

·        Even though Switzerland has 300% more gun ownership than Germany, Switzerland also has a 40% lower murder rate.

·        For each 1% increase in gun ownership this reduces crime, which saves over 3 billion dollars.