Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 21:57:03 -0700 (MST) From: Sean Keane To: Brian Cox Cc: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com, ccw-l@netcom.com Subject: Re: MEDIA: Sac Bee commentary 8/3 Here is the message I sent to the Bee: >From keane@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 21:51:11 -0700 (MST) From: Sean Keane To: opinion@sacbee.com Subject: Sac Bee commentary 8/3 I found the Bee's recent commentary by Tom Conners entitled "How safe are we if everyone carries a gun?" very interesting. I would like to answer some of his points. 1. "Studies have shown that states with laws [non-discretionary CCW laws] similar to Virginia's, between 1 and 4 percent of those eligible obtain weapons permits. This sugests there will be fewer shootouts at the shopping center than opponents predict. Unfortunately, those statistics also raise the possibility that at an outdoor gathering of 200 people, somewhere between 2 and 8 gun toters will be present. Question: What happens if a loud noise like a car backfire occurs?" Answer: Nothing. What happens when a car backfires near a "gun toting" police officer? Assuming that any noise will cause a citizen legally bearing a firearm to begin cranking off rounds is pure hoplophobia. A better question: What is the likelihood of a criminal choosing to assault someone in a group of people where between 2 and 8 citizens are capable of resisting with potentially deadly force? 2. "Will Virginia legislators feel more secure at a field hearing knowing that sympathetic citizens are ready to protect them... or will they want hardware checked at the door?" Gun haters love to compare the crime rates in the United States and Canada as evidence that gun bans reduce crime. They fail to mention, however, that Quebec and New Brunswick have higher criminal homicide rates than Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, where the ownership and carry of firearms is virtually unregulated. Mr Conners' attempt to generate fear through a hypothetical question simply does not stand up to the facts. Vermont doesn't even require a permit for the carry of a concealed weapon by law abiding citizens, and yet it has managed a lower homicide rate than its northern neighbor. 3. [Mentions that many CCW applicants are joggers] "who want to be ready for anything... For joggers in particular, further studies will be necessary to determine where a sweaty jogger can conceal even a Derringer." Fannypacks and backpacks are two good choices, and are utilized by thousands of citizens in states who trust their citizens more than the California legislature does. 4. "The relaxation of concealed weapons law makes it much less restrictive than the legal bans on explosive fireworks. [Yet] fireworks can maime but seldom kill, while firearms regularly maime and often kill. Wrong on two counts. Firearms do not maim and kill; the criminals who wield them do so. If the Polly Klaas case taught us anything, it should be that a firearm is not necessay do kill an innocent little girl, and that it is the criminal justice system that is failing us, not the impotent gun control laws that are the laughingstock of criminals. I cannot recall a single case of fireworks being used to thwart a criminal act. Firearms did so over three million times last year, and in the vast majority of cases a shot was never fired. "So far there is no good answer to this question and to many others. One that badly needs answering is how we got into this foolish mess and how we might get out of it." The answers are all too obvious to anyone not pushing a paranoid anti-gun agenda, and are easily backed by fact rather than posturing. We have indeed gotten ourselves into a "foolish mess"; our criminal justice system repeatedly releases hardened criminals into our communities after serving an average of one third of the time for which they were convicted. One third! Getting tough on criminals and allowing law-abiding citizens the means to protect themselves is the only hope for rectifying this terrible situation. I hope that in the interest of reporting the news rather than trying to "shape" it, you will allow my comments to be seen by a wider audience. I also encourage you to verify the truth of the facts I have stated. Regards, J. Sean Keane