Gunslinger-13
New member
I provided multiple links. One of them was a rather large and comprehensive study. If you read and study those links you will find that they cite their sources at the end. There are dozens of them.
You obviously didn't look at my sources, nor did you make any attempt to address the facts presented by them. Instead you went quiet for a day or two and then came back in here posturing about how you had won the debate and converted the fence sitters.
Where did I state that I had won anything or converted anyone? I didn't- I merely answered the question I was posed.
I have found that presenting the amount of facts I do, with peer reviewed sources cited backing up my position works well at turning a logical mind to what the data and facts show. Never said I won anything or turned anyone.
I was merely referencing what I have done in the past and how it has been successful.
Maybe I missed something that you posted, I will go back and take a look, did you edit it immediately after posting, because what you posted I linked to and read and it was a few studies (Some of the same ones I posted TONS of links to) and one website on "gun deaths" totals and gun laws "maybe" having a correlation, not one they could quantify, but "it's there"...
ETA: I went back and looked at the links you provided. One does have a bit more info/sources cited. But it still does not extrapolate the data very well. Talking purely "Gun deaths" and "Gun homicides" is only part of the equation. We have to look at what TYPES of deaths they are. How are the guns being used and by whom- which is exactly why I posted so much data to show how many defensive shootings there are. How many times a gun is used to stop a woman from being raped.
When we look at the WHOLE picture- we see a few things that the anti-gun crowd isn't reporting on or discussing at all. How many times a gun is used to STOP a murder or a crime from being committed, and the overall violent crime rates.
OBVIOUSLY, a place with more guns is going to have more gun related incidents. I don't think anyone would be so foolish to argue against that point. Thus why I keep referencing HOW the guns are used and what types of deaths MATTERS.
A few reasons shooting deaths will be higher where more guns are:
1) Police shootings
2) Suicides
3) Accidents
4) Self Defense
Some of what the studies you link gets at is that firearms are used more in the USA and it "changes the outcome". Well no shit? It also has a drastic affect on changing the outcome for those of us who use guns legally!
Which goes again to what I have been saying over and over here- CULTURAL, SOCIOECONOMIC differences are at the root of our issues with homicide rates and overall violent crime. It's not the guns.
If you look at who in the USA is to blame for the majority of violent crime and the why behind it, instead of just focusing on the tools they use- we might get somewhere. We could actually find a way to limit all of this violence without infringing on the rights of those of us who do nothing to deserve being treated like criminals and who should not have to have our rights further limited or removed because of the few bad apples.
I doubt any of what I will say will have any affect on your opinions. And you can call me an idiot all you like, it's not changing the facts surrounding guns and violence in the world and it certainly isn't going to get me on your side.
For folks who are more emotional than logical- here's a little story about a family of anti-gunners who changed their minds and are now pro-gun because of a life changing incident involving their daughter in College. I lived this story. This story and other instances in my life and the lives around me is why I am such an ardent supporter of gun rights.
College town, late Saturday night I'm picking up friends from the bar, I'm their DD. I have my CCW permit and a gun. While waiting for my drunken buddies to get gyro sandwiches from a gyro cart I see a drunk girl being taken into an ally by two sober young Mexicans. I just saw them out of the corner of my eye and got a bad feeling in my stomach- it didn't look kosher at all.
So I call the cops, jump out of the truck and follow them slowly. They have the girl up against the wall between two dumpsters and are removing her pants, she is fighting them, but they are large and one is behind her with her in a head lock and the other in front removing pants.
I walk up, turn on a flash light on them and have my gun at the low and ready. I tell them to let go of the girl, put hand behind head and calmly lie on the ground, I tell them that I have a gun and will not hesitate to use it if they make aggressive movements towards me or the girl. Police still on the phone and en route.
The two guys immediately throw girl to the ground and walk towards me with weapons being drawn from pockets, a lead pipe and a knife come out. I aim gun directly at them and say stop, lie on the ground and throw your weapons away or I will be forced to defend myself.
I thank god every day that they did as I demanded, things could have gone so many ways and I am glad I didn't have to find out which way it would have gone had they continued to advance.
It took the police 20 minutes to arrive, those 20 minutes were some of the most tense minutes of my life, felt like an eternity. The amount of sweat and adrenaline my body was secreting was unbelievable.
So the girl is fine other than a few bruises on her neck, cuts to her knees and elbows and a really bad experience. I am in contact with her and her parents after the event and as the court case proceeds.
Turns out these dudes were being initiated into MS13, and there initiation was to gang rape a girl. They picked an easy target. And they would have been successful had I not been there to stop them.
I became friends with the girl and her family, naturally they were incredibly thankful. Up to this point in their lives they were incredibly anti-gun. We had a few conversations about guns and self defense. a few months after this incident they asked me to help them shop for/purchase guns and get into training courses. I still shoot with them once a year.
Guns are the great force multiplier. For woman, minorities, homosexuals- et al they can be the difference between a crazy experience and a story to tell or being raped, beaten severely or murdered.
Guns help to save more lives than they take, guns help to save so many woman from being raped. For all your reasons guns do harm, there are more reasons guns keep harm from being done.
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