Sixty percent of high school and college students say they plan on owning guns at a later stage in life, an academic study from American University revealed on Monday.
According to a brand new study, sixty percent of young Americans plan on purchasing firearms in the future.
According to the study, about 40 percent of the American students surveyed said they definitely planned to own firearms once they had established their own households. Another 20 percent said they were “contemplating” owning guns.
Those findings were part of a broader study conducted by American University professor Jennifer L. Lawless and Loyola Marymount professor Richard L. Fox which focused on the political opinions of young Americans. The study was conducted prior the recent Newtown massacre, but after the Aurora theatre shooting.
Lawless told Campus Reform on Tuesday that in her view the findings were proof that President Obama should move swiftly, and without the permission of Congress if necessary, in order limit the availability of firearms.
30 thoughts on “Young Americans plan to purchase firearms…”
There seems to be an over abundance of people with their head in their ass about how Emperor Obama should just grab a Constitutional right from someone simply because they don’t see things the way someone else does. You can bet that if it was their ox getting gored they would squeal like a stuck hog. Where are those stalwart defenders, the ACLU, at on the second amendment.
You mean the American Criminal Liberties Union? They are socialist in desquise. They care about everything opposite of what the Constitution represents.
Hello,
I read an article this morning detailing the concepts & attitudes of your organization ‘Guns Save Lives’ I have to say your beliefs & views on gun legislation and the idea that a fire arm could actually save a life is completely absurd! This stance is truly disturbing.
How on earth can you believe that a weapon designed to kill or injure could actually do more good than bad?! The article above further emphasizes this ridiculous message, you are promoting the use of guns to children, if you class yourself as a responsible parent & adult then you should clearly be doing the opposite! How old was the latest American shooter?! NOT old enough to be in possession of a firm arm is the answer to that question.
You state ‘guns are hip. Guns are cool!’ and parade a picture of a child holding a weapon, I can assure this atrocious message will not result in saving lives through the use or possession of fire arms.
What president Obama suggests is sensible, correct & something that should have been passed through congress a long time ago (Unfortunately too many brain dead Republicans take your stance so it probably won’t get passed).
He is not trying to take away your constitutional right to ‘bare arms’ he is trying to ban semi-automatic weapons which should have never been put in civilian hands in the first place.
Sure, own a riffle or pistol for security in the home – you don’t need to fire 50 shots at an intruder. In fact surely you believe you shouldn’t fire a single shot at an intruder otherwise you go against your crazy motto ‘Guns Save Lives’ – a gun in civilian hands should only ever be used as a deterrent.
Anyhow, I know you won’t change your deluded, diabolical and downright devastating slogan but I thought you should hear the words of a rational minded person in the hope that someday you will be able to see the error of your ways and concede – GUNS TAKE LIVES!!! They don’t save them…
I saved a man who was being beaten and robbed. His assailant was younger and stronger than him. The fight stopped when I drew my legal pistol. No shot was fired. Was his life not saved?
Your pistol would have been rendered useless had he turned round with a semi-automatic… Trust me, guns are not the answer to solving crime & violence.
Dan, do you know what semi-automatic means? I’m not trying to be rude, just wondering if you know that most pistols or handguns currently on the market are in fact semi-automatics. Semi-automatic means when the trigger is pulled one round(or bullet)is fired and the shell is ejected then another round is chambered. Revolvers work basically the same way as a semi-automatic, it just doesn’t eject a shell after the gun has been fired. Just for arguments sake if guns don’t save lives then why do security forces carry them. I’m not saying that carrying or owning a gun is the solution to crime and violence, but it could possibly and has saved a life now and again.
The mans life was saved. And I came very close to shooting the assailant as he was about to stab the victim. Your argument is what? That it would have been better that a man die so YOU can feel smug in your ivory tower? Lets discuss the event. Not your platitudes. And had the bad guy turned around with any firearm, he would have been shot. I am trained and work for a government agency, if that helps…
Had the assailant been armed with a pistol and turned around he would have shot at very lease. At most he would have been dead. So your comment is an non sequitur and shows how detached you are from reality.
Man, all these police incident reports showing people defending themselves, oldest dated 11/17/12 collated at Keep & Bear Arms.
Funny how review of multiple websites, KC3, Armed Citizen, American Rifleman, Guns Save Lives shows on avg. 300 incidents per month.
Funnier how our own govt, acknowledges that 70% of all violent crimes committed each year are never reported, only 15% of incidents are shots fired, and in only 15% of said shots hitting their target.
For example in 2008, 12,252 murders, 70,000 injuries, care to work backwards?
• Homeowner Shoots and Kills 1 of 2 Home Invaders – 2nd Suspect Still at Large (FL)
• Robber Armed With Cattle Prod (Yeah a Cattle Prod) Stopped by Store Clerk With Gun (FL)
• Wisconsin Grandmother Draws on Robber (WI)
• 15-Year Old Boy Uses AR-15 to Defend Himself, Sister Against Home Invaders (TX)
• Homeowner Uses Derringer to Disarm Shotgun Wielding Burglar, Then Shoots Burglar With Own Shotgun (GA)
• Homeowner in CO Shoots 2 of 3 Home Invaders with .357 Magnum (CO)
• Pharmacy Owner Shoots and Kills 1 of 2 Armed Men Who Tried to Kill Him & His Mother (CA)
• Defensive Gun Use of the Day: Man Defends Self and Infant Son from Armed Robber (OH)
• Georgia mom home alone with kids shoots ex-con intruder (GA)
• Woman hiding with kids shoots intruder (GA)
• Meat Market Clerk Wins Gunfight With 2 Armed Robbers – Sends Both to Hospital (OH)
• Kansas Homeowner Shoots 1 Intruder and Captures a Second (KS)
• Cleveland, OH Homeowner Shoots, Captures Intruder Who Attacked Him (OH)
• Houston, TX Resident Shoots Home Invader in the “Backside”(TX)
• Texas Resident Shoots and Kills Suspected Burglar (TX)
• Maryland Coin Shop Employee Shoots and Kills Would be Robber (MD)
• Sweet Auburn Robbery Victim Shoots, Kills Attacker (GA)
• 79 Year Old Grandfather Shoots and Kills Man Who Was Beating His Granddaughter (IN)
• Homeowner Shoots and Kills Armed Home Invader, Wounds 2 Others as Children Have Sleepover (CA)
• Houston Hotel Clerk Turns Tables on Armed Robber (TX)
• Homeowner Uses Gun to Fight Off 2 Violent Home Invaders, Saves Family (GA)
• Resident Shoots and Kills Armed Intruder Protecting His Girlfriend and 2 Yr Old Child (TX)
• Charlotte, NC Detective Fires at Home Invader Trying to Break Into His Home (NC)
• Gunman Attempts to Open Fire at Crowded Movie Theatre, Is Shot by Off Duty Cop, No Deaths (TX)
• Felony stupid: Angry man picks poorly, now pushing petunias (IL)
• Pastor pulls gun on unsuspecting burglar (UT)
• Resident Shoots Burglar Who Tries to Escape From 3rd Story Balcony (MS)
• 77 Year Old Atlanta Grandmother Opens Fire on Burglar (GA)
• Kansas Homeowner Forced to Shoot Intruder After Being Attacked (KS)
• 81 Year Old Detroit Man Fights Off Intruder With Antique .22 Revolver (MI)
• Texas Store Clerk Shoots Knife Wielding Armed Robber on Crime Spree (TX)
• Armed Robber in OH is Shot and Killed by Two Clerks (OH)
• Homeowner in CA Opens Fire on Three Burglars (CA)
• Nail salon customer packs heat, gunman leaves (WY)
• Homeowner Shoots Daytime Burglar Multiple Times in the Chest (CA)
• Off-duty officer shot in robbery attempt (IL)
• Ohio crime victims fire back in 2 shooting incidents (OH)
• Asian World Market owner recalls scaring off robbery suspect with gun (MO)
• Texas Burglar Calls 911. And for Good Reason (TX)
• Concealed carry helps Appleton man during road rage incident (WI)
• Marijuana mayhem in Pierce County leaves two dead (WA)
• 79 Year Old Hall of Fame Cowboy Disarms and Beats Armed Intruder in TX (TX)
• Homeowner Shoots 1 of 2 Burglars Taking Property From His Home (TX)
• Gas Station Clerk Shoots 1 of 2 Would Be Robbers (IN)
• Store Clerk Shoots Knife Wielding Armed Robber in the Head (MI)
• Don’t bring a pellet gun to gunfight (IL)
• Redford man foils robbery by shooting suspect (MI)
• Autozone Fires Worker Who Stopped Armed Robbery (VA)
• 81-year-old Detroit man shoots at intruder, scares him off (MI)
• Bessemer woman shoots armed intruder after struggle (AL)
• West Knox homeowner shoots intruder (TN)
• Dallas Woman Shoots at 2 Intruders; 1 Dead (TX)
• Burglar arrested after homeowner shoots out getaway car’s tire (OH)
• Big Lake men subdue serial burglar (AK)
• Former Nigerian national basketball player killed while burglarizing Plano house (TX)
• Homeowner Shoots and Captures Knife Wielding Daytime Burglar (TX)
• Female Store Clerk Gets in Gun Fight With 3 Armed Robbers and Wins (SC)
• Store Clerk Shoots 1 of 3 Armed Robbers, Ends Their Recent Crime Spree (NJ)
• Teenager Shoots & Kills Abusive Father as He Choked and Beat Teen’s Mother (FL)
• Jewelry store owner shoots at robbers in San Jose (CA)
• Store robbery on North Broadway ends with clerk fatally shooting suspect (KS)
• Cops: Woman shoots 17-year-old who broke into house, tried to stab her (PA)
• Man Pulls Gun on Rowdy, Line-Cutting Black Friday Shopper (TX)
• Attempted Robbery Ends with One Robber Dead, One Wounded and One Hit By Car (TX)
• Memphis Homeowner Shoots & Kills Teen In Defense During Home Invasion (TN)
• Retired trooper shoots intruder in Bluffton home, Sheriff’s Office reports (SC)
• Oklahoma woman fires shot, scares off burglar (OK)
• Homeowner shoots at would-be robbers (LA)
• Police Say Homeowner Shot, Killed Intruder (OH)
• Homeowner shoots intruder on Detroit’s west side (MI)
• State Police: Would-Be Burglar Shot To Death In Home (KY)
• Everett man fires shot at burglar (WA)
• Florida Homeowner Forced to Shoot Attacker After Friend is ‘Shocked’ with Stun Gun, Beaten (FL)
• Concealed Carrier Walks into Robbery Trap, Shoots His Way Out (OK)
• Homeowner Shoots Alleged Burglar (WV)
Man look at all these incidents in gun free zones or where a security guard intervened and saved lives.
How horrible it is to have an 8 time sless body count that placed like Aurora, Sandyhook, Giffords, VA Tech, FT Hood, N Illinois, Columbine…….
December 17, 1991 Shoney’s Family Restaurant, Anniston, AL: 3 gunmen, 20 hostages, one ARMED customer (Thomas Glenn Terry). Police finally arrived to find one dead robber, one wounded robber and the third had fled when the shooting started. NO INJURED INNOCENTS.
April 24, 1998 Edinboro PA 14-year-old Andrew Wurst shot and killed a teacher at a school dance, and shot and injured several other students— when he was confronted by the dance hall owner James Strand, who lived next door and kept a shotgun at home.
October 1, 1997, Pearl High School: 1 gunman, 2 murdered, 7 injured: Stopped by ARMED vice principal.
January 16, 2002, Virginia Appalachian School of Law: 1 gunman, 3 murdered, 3 injured. Killer was stopped when confronted by two ARMED students.
Nov 20, 2005 Tacoma WA, 20 yr old juvenile delinquent shoots 4 (1 non gun shot wounded) then exchanges shots with an armed civilian wounding him, but then takes 4 hostages and holes up before surrendering to police.
Feb 12, 2007 Trolley Mall Salt Lake Utah 1 gunman, 4 killed, 5 wounded before on scene off duty policeman shot and killed the heavily armed killer. Hundreds of people still in mall when shooting ended before on duty police arrived.
Dec 9 2007, Colorado Springs, New Life Church, 1 gunman 2 murdered, 3 injured, gunman stopped when armed woman who worked security shoots gunman, who then turns gun on self and commits suicide, while 100 other church members are in church.
Winnemucca, Nevada in 2008, Ernesto Villagomez killed two people and wounded two others in a bar filled with three hundred people. He was then shot and killed by a patron who was carrying a gun (and had a concealed carry license).
June 11 2009 , Washington D.C. An 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers, authorities said.
May 4th, 2009 College Station Georgia 2 gunman, 10 victims, 1 dead gunman, 1 victim wounded. The 2 thugs robbing a party begin discussing if they have enough bullets to do the job. One man retrieves his firearm, kills one thug, chases the other off.
January 4, 2010 A US Marshall and a security guard were shot about 8 a.m. January 4 in the lobby of the federal courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada. FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey said that the shooting suspect was shot and killed.
August 7, 2010 Jerusalem; A security guard at the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem shot and killed a Palestinian man who snatched the weapon of another guard and used it to wound him.
Aug 15, 2012 A gunman who shot a security guard Wednesday at the Family Research Council office in Washington, D.C., was carrying a handgun and several additional rounds of ammunition, federal investigators told NBC News.
The wounded guard, identified as Leo Johnson, wrestled the gun away from the shooter and prevented him from hurting anyone else, police said. (Can we say the gunman was INCOMPENTENT)
Dec 11, 2012 Clackamas Mall OR mall shooter Tyler weapon jammed when he saw Nick Meli, a cpl licensee drawing a bead on him.Tyler retreated into the stairwell, cleared his weapons malfunction and committed suicide rather than continue attacking and killing any more innocent civilians
Dec 19, 2012 San Antonio TX off-duty police sergeant, identified as Lisa Castellano. Castellano was working as private security at the theatre when she saw the gunman with his weapon in his hand. Castellano fired 4 shots and hit the man once, immediately ended the potential shooting spree. Police say over 30 shots were fired, including the 4 fired by Castellano. The suspect, if he survives, will likely face capital attempted murder charges since he fired at a police car at one point during the incident.
January 1, 2013 Old Sacramento security guard Stefan Walton described the New Year’s Eve shooting that killed two people and how he says he stopped the gunman.
I’ve heard your argument a million times over and simply disagree.
I won’t result to name calling as you have (brain dead Republicans) because you are obviously ill informed. Many Democrats agree with the Republicans. Why do you think Govenor Quinns’ recent gun legislation failed in a democrat controlled house. This is not a Republican vs Democrat issue. This is an issue based on the 2nd Ammendment. Why is it that gun violence is prevelant in Chicago which has some of the most strictest gun laws in the Country. The reason is because violent criminals know the law abiding are unarmed.Not one of President Obama’s orders from yesterdays news conference addresses the common gang related shootings that we see on the news nightly here in Chicago. We can pass 100 new gun laws a week with the same outcome.Which is Law abiding citizens become unarmed or our turned into felons by these laws. Unable to protect themselves and thier families. While criminals continue to disregard the laws walking around armed seeking thier next victim and knowing they will meet no resistance. Our Goverment can’t even stop murder from taking place within it’s prisons where guards watch over every movement a prisoner makes. I’m not going to change your mind and your not going to change mine. I will however tell you this . If I am confronted by an intruder in my home they will be staring down the barrel of a gun. You, however will most likely be unarmed and become a victim. Just like you are now. A victim of ill information.
You are a deranged idiot & Hitler would’ve loved to have you on his disinformation team working for Goebbels. No need to thank me for the truth.
Couldn’t agree more Dan. It seems that a large percentage of the inbred States seem to be living in an Action Man shoot em’ up” fantasy. Couldn’t see the sense in taking their finger off the self destruct button, you can’t help those who refuse to help themselves……I will not waste any more oxygen on these hillbilly’s, my fingers are getting tired.
Inbred states? Hillbilly? Hardly. When your argument starts with name calling, you have already lost.. Where’s your tolerance for other views? Now go on back to your smug existence, you will never set foot in flyover country anyway, so don’t concern yourself with this Stef.
Yep, lived in the states for 4 years, Canada for 3 years, UK for 9 years, Dubai for 2 years, Czech Republic for 3 years, Thailand for 1 year, Australia for 1 year and I was born in Hong Kong. I know what I am talking about. My views may be one sided but I take into account all countries I have lived in with their laws on gun control and you are too narrow minded to look at your own appalling statistics on gun violence which amount to more than triple than any of these nations. Unfortunately you feel the need to protect yourself from the fools that your laws enable to run around trigger happy. Its black and white for me. Fix up, wise up, or keep living in your violent existence. RIP the next bunch of kids that get shot down regardless of your “self protection” – mark my words….
Stef. Thanks for enlightening me. Since you seem to be so worldly, so gifted, I would invite you to come with me to work in Chicago. In the projects, the darkest and scariest places in the city. Come tell me how you would deal with the gangs, the criminals in your enlightened way. I’m all ears! Surely a hillbilly like myself could benefit from your brilliant insight. I’m certain that once the thugs have you explain things, it will be sunshine and unicorns for us all. Explain it to the poor families who try to make an honest living in those areas. Tell us all how you can get the gangs to quit victimizing the honest folk. Maybe they will listen to your global insight.
Simply put, you and I live in different worlds. There are scary and dangerous places. I work in them. I know the people. Some are good, others pure evil. I will not sacrifice my kids father for your sacred ideals! I am going home at night. I have absolutely no desire to shoot anyone. No fetish of movie style shootings, where its all cleaned up in 20 minutes. I’ve been there. I’ve seen the dead. I have used my gun to defend my life and several others in my near 30 years as a cop. My friends have been forced to shoot in self defense at my agency, and bad guys died because of it. Were they justified? They had seconds to react, an instant to defend the people being robbed, no time to call Stef in Thailand and seek your input. Would the delivery guys or pizza drivers in the same area have lives as important as mine to earn your approval of self defense? Or maybe they can just chance it, so you feel better?
In closing, there’s not a bad guy out there that gives a hoot as to what Stef thinks. He is gonna rob and steal and hurt anyone he chooses, even you if he wanted. Evil is like that. And for you to deny me my choice to defend my life from that guy, and ultimately arrest him is pure folly. Denial has no survival value! If gun control worked, Chicago would be paradise, no?
While I appreciate your input, your opinion is of no consequence. You are not here. I would dearly love to see all violence ended, but its been with us since that Cain vs Abel incident. I enjoy my job, I like helping the people in my area. My personal safety is my choice, and I’m certain you’re a pro choice person, right Stef?
Ref Wikipedia “List of Countries by intentional homicide rate” 2010 data UNODC (UN) we were #103 in the world at 4.8 murders per 100k people.
Yeah, so sad how so many of those countries with higher murder rates are strict gun control or gun ban countries!
If guns are the root cause of violence, why does Europe with 1/7th of our firearms not have 1/7th of our murder rate and of course you can show everyone how gun control reduced their murder rates & totals after implementation, LOL, good luck!
Of course there are other countries that have recently tried gun bans, what effect did that have on their violence?
1997 Australia, Canada, England
Australia 1997 629 VCR per 100k 2011 1,259.4 VCR per 100k, a 32 person reduction in murders by firearms, exactly replaced by murders with knives. Funny how that trend was mirrored in England (ref
Abs . gov . au / AUSSTATS / abs@ . nsf / DetailsPage / 4510.02011?OpenDocument
aic . gov . au / documents / F / F / B / %7bFFB9E49F-160F-43FC-B98D-6BC510DC2AFD%7dmr01 . pdf
While your at it, can you go to the Australians data, figure #26 and explain to everyone how the use of sharp instruments, knives has increased, the same percentage as illegal use of a firearm has fallen in the commission of murders in Australia?
See, if gun control truly was the cause for the reduction in murders, there wouldn’t be any replacement use by other means.
Canada 1997 958 VCR per 100k people 2010 1,282 VCR per 100k people, murder rose from 560 to 610 (Ref Statcan)
Canada $2 billion dollar plus registry, 52% compliance, that hasn’t solved one crime, has traced 47 firearms to prove, yes they were stolen, and the long gun portion of the registry was defunded in 2012, such a common trend.
England -rates per 100k people
1898 1.0 murder rate no gun control
1997 1.3 murder rate, strict gun control implemented, 820 VCR
2010 1.3 murder rate 1,977 VCR, murders have reduced to 1997 levels after a 25% increase. (ref Home Office UK)
Their murders have always been low, not due to gun control, and strict gun control didnt reduce the murders, much less the violence, such a consistent trend in gun ban countries.
Oh whats this, Dec 2012, The Gateway Pundit reports that “Gun-crime-soars-in-england-where-guns-are-banned-by-35%”. Uh since they banned guns by law abiding subjects, explain again how that control of the crimnals is working eh einstein?
Why is it that a country with 1/40th of our firearms, cant get to 1/40th of our murder rates much less their failure to reduce at the same rate as a country, the US that has increased the number of arms in civilian hands by 25% during the same time frame.
You do realize that the US murder rate and murders did not spike like Englands did, but they banned guns in civilian hands, so how could that ever happen eh?
Why is it in 2011 Israel’s violent crime rate was 951 per 100k people (US 383.6 per 100k people)?
So much for less guns in law abiding civilians hands equals less violence, a trend found in every single gun ban country, prove otherwise. Oh, use government data to try if you want, the above references ARE their government databases.
Your right Stef, we should hold people and government accountable though.
Lets identify who exactly is responsible for the majority of that violence first.
The government acknowledges in USDOJ National Gang Threat Assessment 2011, see pg 14, chart #8 for that massive number of violent crimes committed in the US each year committed by gang members.
For several decades, studies have been conducted on crime and causalities by various bodies including major universities, criminologists and even the U.S. Department of Justice. These studies have found that approximately 80% of all crime is committed by 20% of all criminals. Some of the studies have provided slightly different numbers but all of them have found that a small group of criminals commit a vastly disproportionate number of crimes than their peers.(Wolfgang et al ., 1972; Petersilia et al ., 1978; Williams, 1979; Chaiken and Chaiken, 1982; Greenwood with Abrahamse, 1982, and Martin and Sherman,1986).
2.7 mil prisoners
1.4 mil active gang members
2.5-3.5 mil active criminals
1 mil plus open felony warrants
Hence add in the career criminals.
CDC -Suicidal people speak for them-selves as suicide is a felony.
Shall we review police firearm discharge reports in Chicago, NYC, Virginia where between 76-80% of those involved in shootings, both shooter and injured were both involved in criminal activity at the time of the incident.
nyc . gov / html / nypd / downloads / pdf / public_information / 2007_firearms_discharge_report . pdf,
nyclu . org / files / nypd_firearms_report_102207 . pdf
Yeah, review of all the govt. data above shows over 92% of all killings by illegal use of a firearm are committed by career criminals, gang members, and suiciders. A sane person would normally address the largest problem first don’t you agree?
Lets continue this review by acknowledging how many of the existing gun control laws actually apply to the bad guys.
Haynes vs. U.S. 390 U.S. 85 1968 where the US Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Haynes that any law requiring a felon to self incriminate themselves and violate their 5th amendment rights was not enforceable as a charge for prosecution.
Hence criminals don’t have to follow 85% of the existing 22,417 gun control laws that do so, e.g. your stolen weapons, registrations, etc….
Would you care to suggest that the 5th amendment be repealed, no, don’t think you would!
Then we should review how well those laws are enforced anyway.
Like the BATF for refusing to prosecute more than 1% of the 1.83 mil felons, others, and crazies rejected by the background check since 1994.
USDOJ Background Check & Firearm Transfer report 2008
Like the BATF for refusing to catch ANY of those lying on their 4473 forms (Cho, Loughner & Holmes were crazy, they lied) or using fake identifications.
cbsnews 2001/03/21 General Accounting Office study
Like the BATF for refusing to do anything about the 95% of felons who don’t even attempt to buy from a licensed source to begin with.
DOJ Firearms use by Offenders Nov 2001
Like the BATF for refusing to allow civilians access to use the NICS background check for private sales as only licensed dealers are allowed.
Lets not forget that our politicians play a significant role in enabling the crazies to go free. As a result of VA Tech, Pub. L. 110-180 NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 was enacted.
The real question and failure, is what have the states actually funded or resourced for this mental health reporting to the NICS?
Going to the actual NICS website, we see as of July 2012, there are only 1.7 mil records of people who by due process have lost their 2A rights for being severely mentally ill. Yet mental health experts agree that on avg. over 23.15 mil US adults (50% of current 2.7 mil prisoners) are severely mentally ill.
Don’t forget the NCIC FBI database showing over 1 mil open felony warrants in the US today. Uh where’s your data showing that 50% of these 1 mil people wanted aren’t severely mentally ill eh?
So is that the 80 mil law abiding gun owners fault, BATF fault or the politicians fault, sucker question I know!
So the truth is, we have marked your words, and found them to utterly void of facts and reality as is your lack of knowledge and comprehension of our basic laws and rights.
You really should go back to where you can be protected by your fantasy that government will do so, LOL!
Hello Mr Policeman,
I appreciate your essay in reply, although at first I was not prepared to even bother writing people like you I am now quite curious to hear your “logic”.
Firstly, I am not looking for anyone to bow down to the fact that I have travelled. But you went too far to judge that I have never lived in dangerous places. During my years as a 14 – 15 year old in London I was robbed at knife point more times than I could ever count. Where I currently live in Thailand this last week there have been more than 5 shootings within 200m from my apartment.
If anyone is living in a bubble it is you my friend….
Why can you not see that whether you are armed or not armed, there will always be crime, psychos and fear when you walk the streets. But take away guns and there is much less homicide.
Now I know you can’t just change from guns to no guns in one day, there will be many criminals taking advantage, but America needs to wake up and see that the first cautious steps should be taken now, there has to be a transition. In UK for example the government paid a very high reward to those who anonymously handed in fire arms at their local police station on certain days.
Your argument is basically saying, it will always be dangerous out there so I will continue to arm myself, you are too scared to sacrifice a bit of safety for the better good of the future and in more recent cases, your children. You would make a terrible pool player, because you don’t have the intelligence to look 10 shots ahead. You can only think about the here and now.
I will finish by saying if you you really are a police officer then I personally feel you have the right to be armed, even off duty. Arms should be in their rightful place, with trained officers like yourself even off duty if you like because you are trained and competent – and represent a democratic government.
But all I heard in your comment was a problem, after problem, not a solution. People like you don’t look at what lessons have been learned in other countries, rather than sticking your head in the sand you will see that there are actually solutions out there that work. As a cop with little holiday time I doubt you have had the chance to see what works in foreign lands – it is 2013 and I don’t know if you are aware but much of the civilized world has figured out guns are necessary but in a very controlled environment.
I don’t expect you to ever see any sense because unfortunately I have met so many others like you with your same Republican attitudes. Don’t tell me, you watch fox news and you voted Romney….
What makes me the most sick is this pathetic website endorses guns to kids!!!! Let’s train em up for the future – hmmmmm thats logical?!….. total idiots,,,,
Good luck to you. Although I voice my opinion I truly don’t believe your country will learn in my lifetime….apologies for sticking my nose in it, but I’m not smug.
The great thing about America is that you have the choice of whether or not you wish to exercise your rights.
We’re taking the opportunity to exercise our First Amendment rights in addition to our Second Amendment rights.
And it certainly seems that training up young people to use firearms has struck a nerve with those opposed to our 2nd Amendment civil rights.
You would prefer we try to recreate past tyrannies instead of progressing to greater freedom and liberty for our residents.
That’s okay. Maybe someday you’ll learn the truth and become a better citizen.
Hello Mr Policeman,
I appreciate your essay in reply, although at first I was not prepared to even bother writing people like you I am now quite curious to hear your “logic”.
Firstly, I am not looking for anyone to bow down to the fact that I have travelled. But you went too far to judge that I have never lived in dangerous places. During my years as a 14 – 15 year old in London I was robbed at knife point more times than I could ever count. Where I currently live in Thailand this last week there have been more than 5 shootings within 200m from my apartment.
If anyone is living in a bubble it is you my friend….
Why can you not see that whether you are armed or not armed, there will always be crime, psychos and fear when you walk the streets. But take away guns and there is much less homicide.
Now I know you can’t just change from guns to no guns in one day, there will be many criminals taking advantage, but America needs to wake up and see that the first cautious steps should be taken now, there has to be a transition. In UK for example the government paid a very high reward to those who anonymously handed in fire arms at their local police station on certain days.
Your argument is basically saying, it will always be dangerous out there so I will continue to arm myself, you are too scared to sacrifice a bit of safety for the better good of the future and in more recent cases, your children. You would make a terrible pool player, because you don’t have the intelligence to look 10 shots ahead. You can only think about the here and now.
I will finish by saying if you you really are a police officer then I personally feel you have the right to be armed, even off duty. Arms should be in their rightful place, with trained officers like yourself even off duty if you like because you are trained and competent – and represent a democratic government.
But all I heard in your comment was a problem, after problem, not a solution. People like you don’t look at what lessons have been learned in other countries, rather than sticking your head in the sand you will see that there are actually solutions out there that work. As a cop with little holiday time I doubt you have had the chance to see what works in foreign lands – it is 2013 and I don’t know if you are aware but much of the civilized world has figured out guns are necessary but in a very controlled environment.
I don’t expect you to ever see any sense because unfortunately I have met so many others like you with your same Republican attitudes. Don’t tell me, you watch fox news and you voted Romney….
What makes me the most sick is this pathetic website endorses guns to kids!!!! Let’s train em up for the future – hmmmmm thats logical?!….. total idiots,,,,
Good luck to you. Although I voice my opinion I truly don’t believe your country will learn in my lifetime….apologies for sticking my nose in it, but I’m not smug.
Then all those failures of people in position of authority, who repeatedly fail to do something about it.
Like the psychiatrist for Cho (VA Tech killer) who failed to notify authorities about Cho before his shooting rampage. You should hold VA Tech responsible for failing to implement appropriate safety measures after they disarmed their students. Review the timeline of the VA Tech shooting and explain again why more laws should be implemented when so many failures occurred that were NOT the law abiding gun owners responsibility!
(1.) The staff at the New River Valley Community Services Board (NRVCSB), led by one Harvey Barker, Ph.D., where Cho had been Court ordered for INVOLUNTARY OUTPATIENT treatment were incredibly (and to my mind, criminally) negligent when they did not report to the Court that Cho was absent from his mandated therapy. One phone call to the Court would have resulted in a warrant being issued, and Cho would have then been confined to an inpatient facility.
(2.) Virginia Tech was incredibly negligent in not notifying the campus community of the two shootings that had occurred at West Ambler Johnson Hall about two hours before most of the killings occurred at Norris Hall. (
3.) The Commonwealth of Virginia was incredibly stupid in that it treated an involuntary outpatient commitment as different from an involuntary inpatient commitment, and as a result Cho was not reported to Virginia’s Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) and entered into the CCRE database of people prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm. This is what happens when lawyers make these decision rather than COMPETENT mental health professionals.
You should hold the sheriff in AZ responsible for failing to press charges against Loughner 4 to 5 times prior to the Gifford’s shooting as we see death threats are not a felony in AZ when your parents are politically connected like Loughners. Gifford’s actually ignored death threats and had no security, how foolish.
The military at least did a little of what antis refuse to do, hold those responsible for failure accountable. They convened a military tribunal and found those 9 Army officers guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to follow military procedures and protocols in handling and processing obvious mentally ill people in their ranks. The guilty finding has ended any hope of advancement essentially ending those 9 Officers careers.
Lets not forget the heroes in Aurora CO. You know, the psychiatrist and the Risk Review Board at Colorado University. They had Holmes under review and when he dropped out of school, they just like irresponsible children, dropped the issue and notified no one, even when they had acknowledged that he was a risk.
Thereby enabling Holmes to continue and engage in his killing spree. Lest we not acknowledge the Cinemark theatres who disarm their patrons and do nothing to protect those they disarm should be held accountable as well.
Prosecutors have depicted Holmes as a young man whose once promising academic career was in tatters as he failed graduate school oral board exams in June and one of his professors suggested he may not have been a good fit for his Ph.D. program.
They have said that in the lead-up to the shooting, Holmes lost his access to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus after making unspecified threats to a professor on June 12, then began a voluntary withdrawal from his program.
Fenton has testified she treated Holmes, 25, more than a month before the shooting and that her professional relationship with him ended in mid-June. Court documents unsealed last year said the relationship was severed after Holmes made threats toward a university psychiatrist, whose name was redacted.
The New York Times and other media organizations have said that Fenton reported her concerns about Holmes to a police officer and a campus threat assessment team. A 2011 university document showed she was a member of the campus threat team.
Then of course the anti’s who consistently wish to blame inanimate objects for the rampage, yet based on government facts, the previous semi-auto rifle banned because they look evil, didn’t reduce violent crime in any fashion.
Shall we look at the FBI report from several years ago?
Violent Encounters – A study of Felonious Assaults on our nations law enforcement officers
USDOJ, FBI, National Institute of Justice August 2006
You should read the National Sciences Foundation report from 2004 on gun control laws, a study that was formed by the anti gun Clinton Administration so just like the Ludgwig & Cooke study noted below, doesn’t prove any causality theory, much less any effect of gun control laws on violent crime.
An Updated Assessment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence, 1994-2003, National Institute of Justice, June 2004
E.G. Government admits the ban didnt do didley squat
Firearm Violence, a critical Review” 2004 says same thing.
Even more hilarious is the fact the antis try to manufacture a mountain out of a molehill.
2010 FBI UCR database shows 1.25 mil violent crimes reported (4 mil not reported USDOJ National Victimization report), 322,691 involved a firearm, 14,748 murders, 358 by illegal use of any type of rifle, 162 by use of a semi-auto rifle banned because they look evil.
(firearms were used in 67.5 percent of the Nation’s murders 14,748 = 9,955, 41.4 percent of 367,832 robberies =152,282, and 20.6 percent of aggravated assaults 778,901 =160,453.)
All while in 2010 FBI UCR, we see deaths committed by illegal use of hands, fists, feet, blunt objects and knives accounted over 3,259 deaths, each by themselves accounting for far more deaths than the anti’s mythical boogeyman, the semi-auto rifle banned because they look evil.
The anti’s really should get going on registering and banning hands, fist, feet, all type of blunt objects and all knives as clearly they are a more serious threat in the real world.
Ya better get right on making clenching ones fist and flipping the bird illegal also as that is indeed brandishing a lethal weapon!
Reality is until your a victim, you wont have a chance to understand, so here is to hoping you survive the eventual violent encounter that will come your way living in gun free victim disarmament zones!
Stef, I do not see much comfort in being robbed or assaulted with a knife as opposed to a gun. The statistics bear out the fact that the violent crime rate in Great Britain is much higher than here. My belief is that the basic difference between us is that you seem to accept and tolerate violence against you while my instinctive response is to resist. Resistance for me at an age when I am no longer as fast or strong as the thugs means a gun. Perhaps turning the other cheek is the Christian way but self-preservation and control of my own fate is my way.
The good part about the original story is that hopefully some of those current Obama voters will enjoy shooting sports, get involved with groups like GSL, join the NRA, and realize that if one Constitutional right goes by the wayside, it will be that much easier for the ‘Progressives’ as they now like to be called to take away the rest of their rights too.
One day Dan and his friends will be in a bad situation with no legal firearm. But that’s, okay the bad guy will have one.
Stef, what better future? The United Kingdom went from have very little gun crime to now a “gun and gang culture.” 2009 Home Office figures show that the total number of firearm offences in England and Wales has increased from 5,209 in 1998/99 to 9,865 2008/9 – a rise of 89 per cent. The Metropolitan Police now has more armed officers than ever. Parts of London have had armed patrols, and not just at public buildings such as the Palace of Westminster, or transport hubs such as Heathrow Airport. Armed foot patrols from the CO19 unit have done pilot patrols in Tottenham – where three Turkish men died in a drug war – as well as Brixton and Haringey. They were going to be perment until public outcry cause there cancellation. Armed police have previously carried out patrols in both Bristol and Nottingham during periods of gun-related crime.
I was once asked why I didn’t go to a big well known collage. My reply was simple. I don’t do busines in gun free zones. I still don’t.
Glad to see our youth desiring to keep their Right to own firearms.
There seems to be an over abundance of people with their head in their ass about how Emperor Obama should just grab a Constitutional right from someone simply because they don’t see things the way someone else does. You can bet that if it was their ox getting gored they would squeal like a stuck hog. Where are those stalwart defenders, the ACLU, at on the second amendment.
You mean the American Criminal Liberties Union? They are socialist in desquise. They care about everything opposite of what the Constitution represents.
Hello,
I read an article this morning detailing the concepts & attitudes of your organization ‘Guns Save Lives’ I have to say your beliefs & views on gun legislation and the idea that a fire arm could actually save a life is completely absurd! This stance is truly disturbing.
How on earth can you believe that a weapon designed to kill or injure could actually do more good than bad?! The article above further emphasizes this ridiculous message, you are promoting the use of guns to children, if you class yourself as a responsible parent & adult then you should clearly be doing the opposite! How old was the latest American shooter?! NOT old enough to be in possession of a firm arm is the answer to that question.
You state ‘guns are hip. Guns are cool!’ and parade a picture of a child holding a weapon, I can assure this atrocious message will not result in saving lives through the use or possession of fire arms.
What president Obama suggests is sensible, correct & something that should have been passed through congress a long time ago (Unfortunately too many brain dead Republicans take your stance so it probably won’t get passed).
He is not trying to take away your constitutional right to ‘bare arms’ he is trying to ban semi-automatic weapons which should have never been put in civilian hands in the first place.
Sure, own a riffle or pistol for security in the home – you don’t need to fire 50 shots at an intruder. In fact surely you believe you shouldn’t fire a single shot at an intruder otherwise you go against your crazy motto ‘Guns Save Lives’ – a gun in civilian hands should only ever be used as a deterrent.
Anyhow, I know you won’t change your deluded, diabolical and downright devastating slogan but I thought you should hear the words of a rational minded person in the hope that someday you will be able to see the error of your ways and concede – GUNS TAKE LIVES!!! They don’t save them…
I saved a man who was being beaten and robbed. His assailant was younger and stronger than him. The fight stopped when I drew my legal pistol. No shot was fired. Was his life not saved?
Your pistol would have been rendered useless had he turned round with a semi-automatic… Trust me, guns are not the answer to solving crime & violence.
Dan, do you know what semi-automatic means? I’m not trying to be rude, just wondering if you know that most pistols or handguns currently on the market are in fact semi-automatics. Semi-automatic means when the trigger is pulled one round(or bullet)is fired and the shell is ejected then another round is chambered. Revolvers work basically the same way as a semi-automatic, it just doesn’t eject a shell after the gun has been fired. Just for arguments sake if guns don’t save lives then why do security forces carry them. I’m not saying that carrying or owning a gun is the solution to crime and violence, but it could possibly and has saved a life now and again.
The mans life was saved. And I came very close to shooting the assailant as he was about to stab the victim. Your argument is what? That it would have been better that a man die so YOU can feel smug in your ivory tower? Lets discuss the event. Not your platitudes. And had the bad guy turned around with any firearm, he would have been shot. I am trained and work for a government agency, if that helps…
Had the assailant been armed with a pistol and turned around he would have shot at very lease. At most he would have been dead. So your comment is an non sequitur and shows how detached you are from reality.
Man, all these police incident reports showing people defending themselves, oldest dated 11/17/12 collated at Keep & Bear Arms.
Funny how review of multiple websites, KC3, Armed Citizen, American Rifleman, Guns Save Lives shows on avg. 300 incidents per month.
Funnier how our own govt, acknowledges that 70% of all violent crimes committed each year are never reported, only 15% of incidents are shots fired, and in only 15% of said shots hitting their target.
For example in 2008, 12,252 murders, 70,000 injuries, care to work backwards?
• Homeowner Shoots and Kills 1 of 2 Home Invaders – 2nd Suspect Still at Large (FL)
• Robber Armed With Cattle Prod (Yeah a Cattle Prod) Stopped by Store Clerk With Gun (FL)
• Wisconsin Grandmother Draws on Robber (WI)
• 15-Year Old Boy Uses AR-15 to Defend Himself, Sister Against Home Invaders (TX)
• Homeowner Uses Derringer to Disarm Shotgun Wielding Burglar, Then Shoots Burglar With Own Shotgun (GA)
• Homeowner in CO Shoots 2 of 3 Home Invaders with .357 Magnum (CO)
• Pharmacy Owner Shoots and Kills 1 of 2 Armed Men Who Tried to Kill Him & His Mother (CA)
• Defensive Gun Use of the Day: Man Defends Self and Infant Son from Armed Robber (OH)
• Georgia mom home alone with kids shoots ex-con intruder (GA)
• Woman hiding with kids shoots intruder (GA)
• Meat Market Clerk Wins Gunfight With 2 Armed Robbers – Sends Both to Hospital (OH)
• Kansas Homeowner Shoots 1 Intruder and Captures a Second (KS)
• Cleveland, OH Homeowner Shoots, Captures Intruder Who Attacked Him (OH)
• Houston, TX Resident Shoots Home Invader in the “Backside”(TX)
• Texas Resident Shoots and Kills Suspected Burglar (TX)
• Maryland Coin Shop Employee Shoots and Kills Would be Robber (MD)
• Sweet Auburn Robbery Victim Shoots, Kills Attacker (GA)
• 79 Year Old Grandfather Shoots and Kills Man Who Was Beating His Granddaughter (IN)
• Homeowner Shoots and Kills Armed Home Invader, Wounds 2 Others as Children Have Sleepover (CA)
• Houston Hotel Clerk Turns Tables on Armed Robber (TX)
• Homeowner Uses Gun to Fight Off 2 Violent Home Invaders, Saves Family (GA)
• Resident Shoots and Kills Armed Intruder Protecting His Girlfriend and 2 Yr Old Child (TX)
• Charlotte, NC Detective Fires at Home Invader Trying to Break Into His Home (NC)
• Gunman Attempts to Open Fire at Crowded Movie Theatre, Is Shot by Off Duty Cop, No Deaths (TX)
• Felony stupid: Angry man picks poorly, now pushing petunias (IL)
• Pastor pulls gun on unsuspecting burglar (UT)
• Resident Shoots Burglar Who Tries to Escape From 3rd Story Balcony (MS)
• 77 Year Old Atlanta Grandmother Opens Fire on Burglar (GA)
• Kansas Homeowner Forced to Shoot Intruder After Being Attacked (KS)
• 81 Year Old Detroit Man Fights Off Intruder With Antique .22 Revolver (MI)
• Texas Store Clerk Shoots Knife Wielding Armed Robber on Crime Spree (TX)
• Armed Robber in OH is Shot and Killed by Two Clerks (OH)
• Homeowner in CA Opens Fire on Three Burglars (CA)
• Nail salon customer packs heat, gunman leaves (WY)
• Homeowner Shoots Daytime Burglar Multiple Times in the Chest (CA)
• Off-duty officer shot in robbery attempt (IL)
• Ohio crime victims fire back in 2 shooting incidents (OH)
• Asian World Market owner recalls scaring off robbery suspect with gun (MO)
• Texas Burglar Calls 911. And for Good Reason (TX)
• Concealed carry helps Appleton man during road rage incident (WI)
• Marijuana mayhem in Pierce County leaves two dead (WA)
• 79 Year Old Hall of Fame Cowboy Disarms and Beats Armed Intruder in TX (TX)
• Homeowner Shoots 1 of 2 Burglars Taking Property From His Home (TX)
• Gas Station Clerk Shoots 1 of 2 Would Be Robbers (IN)
• Store Clerk Shoots Knife Wielding Armed Robber in the Head (MI)
• Don’t bring a pellet gun to gunfight (IL)
• Redford man foils robbery by shooting suspect (MI)
• Autozone Fires Worker Who Stopped Armed Robbery (VA)
• 81-year-old Detroit man shoots at intruder, scares him off (MI)
• Bessemer woman shoots armed intruder after struggle (AL)
• West Knox homeowner shoots intruder (TN)
• Dallas Woman Shoots at 2 Intruders; 1 Dead (TX)
• Burglar arrested after homeowner shoots out getaway car’s tire (OH)
• Big Lake men subdue serial burglar (AK)
• Former Nigerian national basketball player killed while burglarizing Plano house (TX)
• Homeowner Shoots and Captures Knife Wielding Daytime Burglar (TX)
• Female Store Clerk Gets in Gun Fight With 3 Armed Robbers and Wins (SC)
• Store Clerk Shoots 1 of 3 Armed Robbers, Ends Their Recent Crime Spree (NJ)
• Teenager Shoots & Kills Abusive Father as He Choked and Beat Teen’s Mother (FL)
• Jewelry store owner shoots at robbers in San Jose (CA)
• Store robbery on North Broadway ends with clerk fatally shooting suspect (KS)
• Cops: Woman shoots 17-year-old who broke into house, tried to stab her (PA)
• Man Pulls Gun on Rowdy, Line-Cutting Black Friday Shopper (TX)
• Attempted Robbery Ends with One Robber Dead, One Wounded and One Hit By Car (TX)
• Memphis Homeowner Shoots & Kills Teen In Defense During Home Invasion (TN)
• Retired trooper shoots intruder in Bluffton home, Sheriff’s Office reports (SC)
• Oklahoma woman fires shot, scares off burglar (OK)
• Homeowner shoots at would-be robbers (LA)
• Police Say Homeowner Shot, Killed Intruder (OH)
• Homeowner shoots intruder on Detroit’s west side (MI)
• State Police: Would-Be Burglar Shot To Death In Home (KY)
• Everett man fires shot at burglar (WA)
• Florida Homeowner Forced to Shoot Attacker After Friend is ‘Shocked’ with Stun Gun, Beaten (FL)
• Concealed Carrier Walks into Robbery Trap, Shoots His Way Out (OK)
• Homeowner Shoots Alleged Burglar (WV)
Man look at all these incidents in gun free zones or where a security guard intervened and saved lives.
How horrible it is to have an 8 time sless body count that placed like Aurora, Sandyhook, Giffords, VA Tech, FT Hood, N Illinois, Columbine…….
December 17, 1991 Shoney’s Family Restaurant, Anniston, AL: 3 gunmen, 20 hostages, one ARMED customer (Thomas Glenn Terry). Police finally arrived to find one dead robber, one wounded robber and the third had fled when the shooting started. NO INJURED INNOCENTS.
April 24, 1998 Edinboro PA 14-year-old Andrew Wurst shot and killed a teacher at a school dance, and shot and injured several other students— when he was confronted by the dance hall owner James Strand, who lived next door and kept a shotgun at home.
October 1, 1997, Pearl High School: 1 gunman, 2 murdered, 7 injured: Stopped by ARMED vice principal.
January 16, 2002, Virginia Appalachian School of Law: 1 gunman, 3 murdered, 3 injured. Killer was stopped when confronted by two ARMED students.
Nov 20, 2005 Tacoma WA, 20 yr old juvenile delinquent shoots 4 (1 non gun shot wounded) then exchanges shots with an armed civilian wounding him, but then takes 4 hostages and holes up before surrendering to police.
Feb 12, 2007 Trolley Mall Salt Lake Utah 1 gunman, 4 killed, 5 wounded before on scene off duty policeman shot and killed the heavily armed killer. Hundreds of people still in mall when shooting ended before on duty police arrived.
Dec 9 2007, Colorado Springs, New Life Church, 1 gunman 2 murdered, 3 injured, gunman stopped when armed woman who worked security shoots gunman, who then turns gun on self and commits suicide, while 100 other church members are in church.
Winnemucca, Nevada in 2008, Ernesto Villagomez killed two people and wounded two others in a bar filled with three hundred people. He was then shot and killed by a patron who was carrying a gun (and had a concealed carry license).
June 11 2009 , Washington D.C. An 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers, authorities said.
May 4th, 2009 College Station Georgia 2 gunman, 10 victims, 1 dead gunman, 1 victim wounded. The 2 thugs robbing a party begin discussing if they have enough bullets to do the job. One man retrieves his firearm, kills one thug, chases the other off.
January 4, 2010 A US Marshall and a security guard were shot about 8 a.m. January 4 in the lobby of the federal courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada. FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey said that the shooting suspect was shot and killed.
August 7, 2010 Jerusalem; A security guard at the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem shot and killed a Palestinian man who snatched the weapon of another guard and used it to wound him.
Aug 15, 2012 A gunman who shot a security guard Wednesday at the Family Research Council office in Washington, D.C., was carrying a handgun and several additional rounds of ammunition, federal investigators told NBC News.
The wounded guard, identified as Leo Johnson, wrestled the gun away from the shooter and prevented him from hurting anyone else, police said. (Can we say the gunman was INCOMPENTENT)
Dec 11, 2012 Clackamas Mall OR mall shooter Tyler weapon jammed when he saw Nick Meli, a cpl licensee drawing a bead on him.Tyler retreated into the stairwell, cleared his weapons malfunction and committed suicide rather than continue attacking and killing any more innocent civilians
Dec 19, 2012 San Antonio TX off-duty police sergeant, identified as Lisa Castellano. Castellano was working as private security at the theatre when she saw the gunman with his weapon in his hand. Castellano fired 4 shots and hit the man once, immediately ended the potential shooting spree. Police say over 30 shots were fired, including the 4 fired by Castellano. The suspect, if he survives, will likely face capital attempted murder charges since he fired at a police car at one point during the incident.
January 1, 2013 Old Sacramento security guard Stefan Walton described the New Year’s Eve shooting that killed two people and how he says he stopped the gunman.
I’ve heard your argument a million times over and simply disagree.
I won’t result to name calling as you have (brain dead Republicans) because you are obviously ill informed. Many Democrats agree with the Republicans. Why do you think Govenor Quinns’ recent gun legislation failed in a democrat controlled house. This is not a Republican vs Democrat issue. This is an issue based on the 2nd Ammendment. Why is it that gun violence is prevelant in Chicago which has some of the most strictest gun laws in the Country. The reason is because violent criminals know the law abiding are unarmed.Not one of President Obama’s orders from yesterdays news conference addresses the common gang related shootings that we see on the news nightly here in Chicago. We can pass 100 new gun laws a week with the same outcome.Which is Law abiding citizens become unarmed or our turned into felons by these laws. Unable to protect themselves and thier families. While criminals continue to disregard the laws walking around armed seeking thier next victim and knowing they will meet no resistance. Our Goverment can’t even stop murder from taking place within it’s prisons where guards watch over every movement a prisoner makes. I’m not going to change your mind and your not going to change mine. I will however tell you this . If I am confronted by an intruder in my home they will be staring down the barrel of a gun. You, however will most likely be unarmed and become a victim. Just like you are now. A victim of ill information.
You are a deranged idiot & Hitler would’ve loved to have you on his disinformation team working for Goebbels. No need to thank me for the truth.
Couldn’t agree more Dan. It seems that a large percentage of the inbred States seem to be living in an Action Man shoot em’ up” fantasy. Couldn’t see the sense in taking their finger off the self destruct button, you can’t help those who refuse to help themselves……I will not waste any more oxygen on these hillbilly’s, my fingers are getting tired.
Inbred states? Hillbilly? Hardly. When your argument starts with name calling, you have already lost.. Where’s your tolerance for other views? Now go on back to your smug existence, you will never set foot in flyover country anyway, so don’t concern yourself with this Stef.
Yep, lived in the states for 4 years, Canada for 3 years, UK for 9 years, Dubai for 2 years, Czech Republic for 3 years, Thailand for 1 year, Australia for 1 year and I was born in Hong Kong. I know what I am talking about. My views may be one sided but I take into account all countries I have lived in with their laws on gun control and you are too narrow minded to look at your own appalling statistics on gun violence which amount to more than triple than any of these nations. Unfortunately you feel the need to protect yourself from the fools that your laws enable to run around trigger happy. Its black and white for me. Fix up, wise up, or keep living in your violent existence. RIP the next bunch of kids that get shot down regardless of your “self protection” – mark my words….
Stef. Thanks for enlightening me. Since you seem to be so worldly, so gifted, I would invite you to come with me to work in Chicago. In the projects, the darkest and scariest places in the city. Come tell me how you would deal with the gangs, the criminals in your enlightened way. I’m all ears! Surely a hillbilly like myself could benefit from your brilliant insight. I’m certain that once the thugs have you explain things, it will be sunshine and unicorns for us all. Explain it to the poor families who try to make an honest living in those areas. Tell us all how you can get the gangs to quit victimizing the honest folk. Maybe they will listen to your global insight.
Simply put, you and I live in different worlds. There are scary and dangerous places. I work in them. I know the people. Some are good, others pure evil. I will not sacrifice my kids father for your sacred ideals! I am going home at night. I have absolutely no desire to shoot anyone. No fetish of movie style shootings, where its all cleaned up in 20 minutes. I’ve been there. I’ve seen the dead. I have used my gun to defend my life and several others in my near 30 years as a cop. My friends have been forced to shoot in self defense at my agency, and bad guys died because of it. Were they justified? They had seconds to react, an instant to defend the people being robbed, no time to call Stef in Thailand and seek your input. Would the delivery guys or pizza drivers in the same area have lives as important as mine to earn your approval of self defense? Or maybe they can just chance it, so you feel better?
In closing, there’s not a bad guy out there that gives a hoot as to what Stef thinks. He is gonna rob and steal and hurt anyone he chooses, even you if he wanted. Evil is like that. And for you to deny me my choice to defend my life from that guy, and ultimately arrest him is pure folly. Denial has no survival value! If gun control worked, Chicago would be paradise, no?
While I appreciate your input, your opinion is of no consequence. You are not here. I would dearly love to see all violence ended, but its been with us since that Cain vs Abel incident. I enjoy my job, I like helping the people in my area. My personal safety is my choice, and I’m certain you’re a pro choice person, right Stef?
Ref Wikipedia “List of Countries by intentional homicide rate” 2010 data UNODC (UN) we were #103 in the world at 4.8 murders per 100k people.
Yeah, so sad how so many of those countries with higher murder rates are strict gun control or gun ban countries!
If guns are the root cause of violence, why does Europe with 1/7th of our firearms not have 1/7th of our murder rate and of course you can show everyone how gun control reduced their murder rates & totals after implementation, LOL, good luck!
Of course there are other countries that have recently tried gun bans, what effect did that have on their violence?
1997 Australia, Canada, England
Australia 1997 629 VCR per 100k 2011 1,259.4 VCR per 100k, a 32 person reduction in murders by firearms, exactly replaced by murders with knives. Funny how that trend was mirrored in England (ref
Abs . gov . au / AUSSTATS / abs@ . nsf / DetailsPage / 4510.02011?OpenDocument
aic . gov . au / documents / F / F / B / %7bFFB9E49F-160F-43FC-B98D-6BC510DC2AFD%7dmr01 . pdf
While your at it, can you go to the Australians data, figure #26 and explain to everyone how the use of sharp instruments, knives has increased, the same percentage as illegal use of a firearm has fallen in the commission of murders in Australia?
See, if gun control truly was the cause for the reduction in murders, there wouldn’t be any replacement use by other means.
Canada 1997 958 VCR per 100k people 2010 1,282 VCR per 100k people, murder rose from 560 to 610 (Ref Statcan)
Canada $2 billion dollar plus registry, 52% compliance, that hasn’t solved one crime, has traced 47 firearms to prove, yes they were stolen, and the long gun portion of the registry was defunded in 2012, such a common trend.
England -rates per 100k people
1898 1.0 murder rate no gun control
1997 1.3 murder rate, strict gun control implemented, 820 VCR
2010 1.3 murder rate 1,977 VCR, murders have reduced to 1997 levels after a 25% increase. (ref Home Office UK)
Their murders have always been low, not due to gun control, and strict gun control didnt reduce the murders, much less the violence, such a consistent trend in gun ban countries.
Oh whats this, Dec 2012, The Gateway Pundit reports that “Gun-crime-soars-in-england-where-guns-are-banned-by-35%”. Uh since they banned guns by law abiding subjects, explain again how that control of the crimnals is working eh einstein?
Why is it that a country with 1/40th of our firearms, cant get to 1/40th of our murder rates much less their failure to reduce at the same rate as a country, the US that has increased the number of arms in civilian hands by 25% during the same time frame.
You do realize that the US murder rate and murders did not spike like Englands did, but they banned guns in civilian hands, so how could that ever happen eh?
Year Murder Attempted Murder
1997 739 652
1998 748 661
1999 750 676
2000 766 750
2001 850 708
2002 891 856
2003 1,047 822
2004 904 888
2005 868 740
2006 764 920
2007 758 633
2008 775 621
2009 662 574
2010 619 591
2011 638 523
You were saying?
cbs . gov . il / www / yarhon / r1_e . htm
Why is it in 2011 Israel’s violent crime rate was 951 per 100k people (US 383.6 per 100k people)?
So much for less guns in law abiding civilians hands equals less violence, a trend found in every single gun ban country, prove otherwise. Oh, use government data to try if you want, the above references ARE their government databases.
Your right Stef, we should hold people and government accountable though.
Lets identify who exactly is responsible for the majority of that violence first.
The government acknowledges in USDOJ National Gang Threat Assessment 2011, see pg 14, chart #8 for that massive number of violent crimes committed in the US each year committed by gang members.
For several decades, studies have been conducted on crime and causalities by various bodies including major universities, criminologists and even the U.S. Department of Justice. These studies have found that approximately 80% of all crime is committed by 20% of all criminals. Some of the studies have provided slightly different numbers but all of them have found that a small group of criminals commit a vastly disproportionate number of crimes than their peers.(Wolfgang et al ., 1972; Petersilia et al ., 1978; Williams, 1979; Chaiken and Chaiken, 1982; Greenwood with Abrahamse, 1982, and Martin and Sherman,1986).
2.7 mil prisoners
1.4 mil active gang members
2.5-3.5 mil active criminals
1 mil plus open felony warrants
Hence add in the career criminals.
CDC -Suicidal people speak for them-selves as suicide is a felony.
Shall we review police firearm discharge reports in Chicago, NYC, Virginia where between 76-80% of those involved in shootings, both shooter and injured were both involved in criminal activity at the time of the incident.
popcenter . org / problems / drive_by_shooting / PDFs / Block_and_Block_1993 . pdf,
nyc . gov / html / nypd / downloads / pdf / public_information / 2007_firearms_discharge_report . pdf,
nyclu . org / files / nypd_firearms_report_102207 . pdf
Yeah, review of all the govt. data above shows over 92% of all killings by illegal use of a firearm are committed by career criminals, gang members, and suiciders. A sane person would normally address the largest problem first don’t you agree?
Lets continue this review by acknowledging how many of the existing gun control laws actually apply to the bad guys.
Haynes vs. U.S. 390 U.S. 85 1968 where the US Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Haynes that any law requiring a felon to self incriminate themselves and violate their 5th amendment rights was not enforceable as a charge for prosecution.
Hence criminals don’t have to follow 85% of the existing 22,417 gun control laws that do so, e.g. your stolen weapons, registrations, etc….
Would you care to suggest that the 5th amendment be repealed, no, don’t think you would!
Then we should review how well those laws are enforced anyway.
Like the BATF for refusing to prosecute more than 1% of the 1.83 mil felons, others, and crazies rejected by the background check since 1994.
USDOJ Background Check & Firearm Transfer report 2008
Like the BATF for refusing to catch ANY of those lying on their 4473 forms (Cho, Loughner & Holmes were crazy, they lied) or using fake identifications.
cbsnews 2001/03/21 General Accounting Office study
Like the BATF for refusing to do anything about the 95% of felons who don’t even attempt to buy from a licensed source to begin with.
DOJ Firearms use by Offenders Nov 2001
Like the BATF for refusing to allow civilians access to use the NICS background check for private sales as only licensed dealers are allowed.
Lets not forget that our politicians play a significant role in enabling the crazies to go free. As a result of VA Tech, Pub. L. 110-180 NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 was enacted.
The real question and failure, is what have the states actually funded or resourced for this mental health reporting to the NICS?
Going to the actual NICS website, we see as of July 2012, there are only 1.7 mil records of people who by due process have lost their 2A rights for being severely mentally ill. Yet mental health experts agree that on avg. over 23.15 mil US adults (50% of current 2.7 mil prisoners) are severely mentally ill.
Don’t forget the NCIC FBI database showing over 1 mil open felony warrants in the US today. Uh where’s your data showing that 50% of these 1 mil people wanted aren’t severely mentally ill eh?
So is that the 80 mil law abiding gun owners fault, BATF fault or the politicians fault, sucker question I know!
So the truth is, we have marked your words, and found them to utterly void of facts and reality as is your lack of knowledge and comprehension of our basic laws and rights.
You really should go back to where you can be protected by your fantasy that government will do so, LOL!
Hello Mr Policeman,
I appreciate your essay in reply, although at first I was not prepared to even bother writing people like you I am now quite curious to hear your “logic”.
Firstly, I am not looking for anyone to bow down to the fact that I have travelled. But you went too far to judge that I have never lived in dangerous places. During my years as a 14 – 15 year old in London I was robbed at knife point more times than I could ever count. Where I currently live in Thailand this last week there have been more than 5 shootings within 200m from my apartment.
If anyone is living in a bubble it is you my friend….
Why can you not see that whether you are armed or not armed, there will always be crime, psychos and fear when you walk the streets. But take away guns and there is much less homicide.
Now I know you can’t just change from guns to no guns in one day, there will be many criminals taking advantage, but America needs to wake up and see that the first cautious steps should be taken now, there has to be a transition. In UK for example the government paid a very high reward to those who anonymously handed in fire arms at their local police station on certain days.
Your argument is basically saying, it will always be dangerous out there so I will continue to arm myself, you are too scared to sacrifice a bit of safety for the better good of the future and in more recent cases, your children. You would make a terrible pool player, because you don’t have the intelligence to look 10 shots ahead. You can only think about the here and now.
I will finish by saying if you you really are a police officer then I personally feel you have the right to be armed, even off duty. Arms should be in their rightful place, with trained officers like yourself even off duty if you like because you are trained and competent – and represent a democratic government.
But all I heard in your comment was a problem, after problem, not a solution. People like you don’t look at what lessons have been learned in other countries, rather than sticking your head in the sand you will see that there are actually solutions out there that work. As a cop with little holiday time I doubt you have had the chance to see what works in foreign lands – it is 2013 and I don’t know if you are aware but much of the civilized world has figured out guns are necessary but in a very controlled environment.
I don’t expect you to ever see any sense because unfortunately I have met so many others like you with your same Republican attitudes. Don’t tell me, you watch fox news and you voted Romney….
What makes me the most sick is this pathetic website endorses guns to kids!!!! Let’s train em up for the future – hmmmmm thats logical?!….. total idiots,,,,
Good luck to you. Although I voice my opinion I truly don’t believe your country will learn in my lifetime….apologies for sticking my nose in it, but I’m not smug.
The great thing about America is that you have the choice of whether or not you wish to exercise your rights.
We’re taking the opportunity to exercise our First Amendment rights in addition to our Second Amendment rights.
And it certainly seems that training up young people to use firearms has struck a nerve with those opposed to our 2nd Amendment civil rights.
You would prefer we try to recreate past tyrannies instead of progressing to greater freedom and liberty for our residents.
That’s okay. Maybe someday you’ll learn the truth and become a better citizen.
Hello Mr Policeman,
I appreciate your essay in reply, although at first I was not prepared to even bother writing people like you I am now quite curious to hear your “logic”.
Firstly, I am not looking for anyone to bow down to the fact that I have travelled. But you went too far to judge that I have never lived in dangerous places. During my years as a 14 – 15 year old in London I was robbed at knife point more times than I could ever count. Where I currently live in Thailand this last week there have been more than 5 shootings within 200m from my apartment.
If anyone is living in a bubble it is you my friend….
Why can you not see that whether you are armed or not armed, there will always be crime, psychos and fear when you walk the streets. But take away guns and there is much less homicide.
Now I know you can’t just change from guns to no guns in one day, there will be many criminals taking advantage, but America needs to wake up and see that the first cautious steps should be taken now, there has to be a transition. In UK for example the government paid a very high reward to those who anonymously handed in fire arms at their local police station on certain days.
Your argument is basically saying, it will always be dangerous out there so I will continue to arm myself, you are too scared to sacrifice a bit of safety for the better good of the future and in more recent cases, your children. You would make a terrible pool player, because you don’t have the intelligence to look 10 shots ahead. You can only think about the here and now.
I will finish by saying if you you really are a police officer then I personally feel you have the right to be armed, even off duty. Arms should be in their rightful place, with trained officers like yourself even off duty if you like because you are trained and competent – and represent a democratic government.
But all I heard in your comment was a problem, after problem, not a solution. People like you don’t look at what lessons have been learned in other countries, rather than sticking your head in the sand you will see that there are actually solutions out there that work. As a cop with little holiday time I doubt you have had the chance to see what works in foreign lands – it is 2013 and I don’t know if you are aware but much of the civilized world has figured out guns are necessary but in a very controlled environment.
I don’t expect you to ever see any sense because unfortunately I have met so many others like you with your same Republican attitudes. Don’t tell me, you watch fox news and you voted Romney….
What makes me the most sick is this pathetic website endorses guns to kids!!!! Let’s train em up for the future – hmmmmm thats logical?!….. total idiots,,,,
Good luck to you. Although I voice my opinion I truly don’t believe your country will learn in my lifetime….apologies for sticking my nose in it, but I’m not smug.
Then all those failures of people in position of authority, who repeatedly fail to do something about it.
Like the psychiatrist for Cho (VA Tech killer) who failed to notify authorities about Cho before his shooting rampage. You should hold VA Tech responsible for failing to implement appropriate safety measures after they disarmed their students. Review the timeline of the VA Tech shooting and explain again why more laws should be implemented when so many failures occurred that were NOT the law abiding gun owners responsibility!
(1.) The staff at the New River Valley Community Services Board (NRVCSB), led by one Harvey Barker, Ph.D., where Cho had been Court ordered for INVOLUNTARY OUTPATIENT treatment were incredibly (and to my mind, criminally) negligent when they did not report to the Court that Cho was absent from his mandated therapy. One phone call to the Court would have resulted in a warrant being issued, and Cho would have then been confined to an inpatient facility.
(2.) Virginia Tech was incredibly negligent in not notifying the campus community of the two shootings that had occurred at West Ambler Johnson Hall about two hours before most of the killings occurred at Norris Hall. (
3.) The Commonwealth of Virginia was incredibly stupid in that it treated an involuntary outpatient commitment as different from an involuntary inpatient commitment, and as a result Cho was not reported to Virginia’s Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) and entered into the CCRE database of people prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm. This is what happens when lawyers make these decision rather than COMPETENT mental health professionals.
You should hold the sheriff in AZ responsible for failing to press charges against Loughner 4 to 5 times prior to the Gifford’s shooting as we see death threats are not a felony in AZ when your parents are politically connected like Loughners. Gifford’s actually ignored death threats and had no security, how foolish.
The military at least did a little of what antis refuse to do, hold those responsible for failure accountable. They convened a military tribunal and found those 9 Army officers guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to follow military procedures and protocols in handling and processing obvious mentally ill people in their ranks. The guilty finding has ended any hope of advancement essentially ending those 9 Officers careers.
Lets not forget the heroes in Aurora CO. You know, the psychiatrist and the Risk Review Board at Colorado University. They had Holmes under review and when he dropped out of school, they just like irresponsible children, dropped the issue and notified no one, even when they had acknowledged that he was a risk.
Thereby enabling Holmes to continue and engage in his killing spree. Lest we not acknowledge the Cinemark theatres who disarm their patrons and do nothing to protect those they disarm should be held accountable as well.
Prosecutors have depicted Holmes as a young man whose once promising academic career was in tatters as he failed graduate school oral board exams in June and one of his professors suggested he may not have been a good fit for his Ph.D. program.
They have said that in the lead-up to the shooting, Holmes lost his access to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus after making unspecified threats to a professor on June 12, then began a voluntary withdrawal from his program.
Fenton has testified she treated Holmes, 25, more than a month before the shooting and that her professional relationship with him ended in mid-June. Court documents unsealed last year said the relationship was severed after Holmes made threats toward a university psychiatrist, whose name was redacted.
The New York Times and other media organizations have said that Fenton reported her concerns about Holmes to a police officer and a campus threat assessment team. A 2011 university document showed she was a member of the campus threat team.
Then of course the anti’s who consistently wish to blame inanimate objects for the rampage, yet based on government facts, the previous semi-auto rifle banned because they look evil, didn’t reduce violent crime in any fashion.
Shall we look at the FBI report from several years ago?
Violent Encounters – A study of Felonious Assaults on our nations law enforcement officers
USDOJ, FBI, National Institute of Justice August 2006
You should read the National Sciences Foundation report from 2004 on gun control laws, a study that was formed by the anti gun Clinton Administration so just like the Ludgwig & Cooke study noted below, doesn’t prove any causality theory, much less any effect of gun control laws on violent crime.
An Updated Assessment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence, 1994-2003, National Institute of Justice, June 2004
E.G. Government admits the ban didnt do didley squat
Firearm Violence, a critical Review” 2004 says same thing.
Even more hilarious is the fact the antis try to manufacture a mountain out of a molehill.
2010 FBI UCR database shows 1.25 mil violent crimes reported (4 mil not reported USDOJ National Victimization report), 322,691 involved a firearm, 14,748 murders, 358 by illegal use of any type of rifle, 162 by use of a semi-auto rifle banned because they look evil.
(firearms were used in 67.5 percent of the Nation’s murders 14,748 = 9,955, 41.4 percent of 367,832 robberies =152,282, and 20.6 percent of aggravated assaults 778,901 =160,453.)
All while in 2010 FBI UCR, we see deaths committed by illegal use of hands, fists, feet, blunt objects and knives accounted over 3,259 deaths, each by themselves accounting for far more deaths than the anti’s mythical boogeyman, the semi-auto rifle banned because they look evil.
The anti’s really should get going on registering and banning hands, fist, feet, all type of blunt objects and all knives as clearly they are a more serious threat in the real world.
Ya better get right on making clenching ones fist and flipping the bird illegal also as that is indeed brandishing a lethal weapon!
Reality is until your a victim, you wont have a chance to understand, so here is to hoping you survive the eventual violent encounter that will come your way living in gun free victim disarmament zones!
Stef, I do not see much comfort in being robbed or assaulted with a knife as opposed to a gun. The statistics bear out the fact that the violent crime rate in Great Britain is much higher than here. My belief is that the basic difference between us is that you seem to accept and tolerate violence against you while my instinctive response is to resist. Resistance for me at an age when I am no longer as fast or strong as the thugs means a gun. Perhaps turning the other cheek is the Christian way but self-preservation and control of my own fate is my way.
Be sure to see our thoughts on Dan’s missive!
http://www.gunssavelife.com/?p=4870
The good part about the original story is that hopefully some of those current Obama voters will enjoy shooting sports, get involved with groups like GSL, join the NRA, and realize that if one Constitutional right goes by the wayside, it will be that much easier for the ‘Progressives’ as they now like to be called to take away the rest of their rights too.
One day Dan and his friends will be in a bad situation with no legal firearm. But that’s, okay the bad guy will have one.
Stef, what better future? The United Kingdom went from have very little gun crime to now a “gun and gang culture.” 2009 Home Office figures show that the total number of firearm offences in England and Wales has increased from 5,209 in 1998/99 to 9,865 2008/9 – a rise of 89 per cent. The Metropolitan Police now has more armed officers than ever. Parts of London have had armed patrols, and not just at public buildings such as the Palace of Westminster, or transport hubs such as Heathrow Airport. Armed foot patrols from the CO19 unit have done pilot patrols in Tottenham – where three Turkish men died in a drug war – as well as Brixton and Haringey. They were going to be perment until public outcry cause there cancellation. Armed police have previously carried out patrols in both Bristol and Nottingham during periods of gun-related crime.
I was once asked why I didn’t go to a big well known collage. My reply was simple. I don’t do busines in gun free zones. I still don’t.
Glad to see our youth desiring to keep their Right to own firearms.