Hold the Mayo

April 20, 2007

Self-defense is a Human Right

Ever since the mythological safety of a "gun free zone" was shattered at Virginia Tech there has been a lot of debate and speculation about how different things could have been if students and teachers with concealed carry permits had been allowed to carry their weapons on campus. It is entirely possible to speculate that the death toll would have stopped at the first two students killed in the dorm. It is possible to speculate that that in an ensuing gun battle the death toll would have been higher. What could have happened that day is just that - meaningless speculation.

There are, however some facts coming out of the debate that cannot be denied. One of them is that we don't really know much about how often guns are used effectively in self defense. It is perhaps the only story that is more unreported than the strength of the US economy resulting from the tax cuts.

If you want to get a better understanding of the role of guns in self defense, I suggest you make TFS Magnum a part of your regular reading. Zendo Deb does an excellent job of finding the stories about individuals who used their firearms to protect themselves and others. They are often small stories of individual heroism that today seem more important than ever.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 02:18 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment

1 For the most part, the media, in general, do NOT care that a gun may be used positively, that is, in a self-defense role. Witness the explosion in armed attacks in Britain after the complete ban on gun ownership, and the near-total lack of media coverage on the massive loss of security for the British subjects. Certainly, the answer is not arming everyone, but, if an attacker could never know if he/she were safe in the attempted assault, he/she would be far less likely to commit the atrocity.

This is anathemic to those who believe that all power must reside in a government that they, themselves, control. Hence the gun-control movement. Note that gun-control was a central issue in the Nazi takeover of Germany. Extreme liberals cannot tolerate any power in hands other than their own.

It is interesting to note that "the Witch of New York" has not made much comment yet on the events at Virginia Tech, though Obama has put his foot firmly into his mouth with the call for yet another law making it more redundantly illegal for the insane to purchase guns.

Posted by: Mike at April 20, 2007 05:14 AM (A5s0y)

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