Defensive gun use (DGU) saves lives, and the evidence, while often difficult to quantify due to a lack of comprehensive statistics, is compelling. An unpublished Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study supports the findings of Florida State University criminologist Gary Kleck, reinforcing this assertion.
Before delving further into firearms, consider traffic fatalities. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports approximately 100 people are killed daily on American roads. Does this necessitate prohibiting motor vehicle operation? Of course not. We accept the risk inherent in driving, while focusing on driver responsibility.
The following numbers represent traffic fatalities over three years, according to NHTSA:
The question arises: is the blame attributable to automobiles or drivers? Our legal system rightly places responsibility on the driver, except in cases of mechanical failure. When a driver of a Dodge pickup truck killed seven motorcyclists in Maine, the focus was on the driver’s negligence, not on “pickup control” or restricting Dodge 2500 purchases. The same principle applies to other vehicle-related tragedies, such as the charter bus crash investigated by the Colorado State Patrol that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.
An automobile becomes a deadly weapon when operated negligently. Vehicles are frequently used in felony assaults, yet “automobile reform” remains absent from public discourse. Metro Police Officer John Anderson was killed July 4, 2019, in a crash caused by a 17-year-old driver.
Following mass shootings, political opportunists often demand reform, blaming firearms rather than addressing the underlying cause: the individual’s distorted mind and heart. The focus should be on understanding why our culture produces mass murderers, a complex issue explored in depth in the book, Jurisdiction: A Cop and a Pastor Talk About Life. The anti-gun lobby exploits the emotional distress caused by mass murders, but further gun control will not solve the problem.
More people will die in traffic accidents during the time it takes to read this article than in the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings combined. This statement is not intended to be insensitive, but rather to highlight a stark reality. While grieving for the victims of mass shootings, it’s important to remember those who die in traffic fatalities that often go unnoticed in the headlines.
Halting all gun sales would not resolve the issue. There are more firearms in circulation than people. The anti-gun movement refuses to acknowledge the significant number of people who are defended annually by gun ownership. The CDC study mentioned earlier confirms Gary Kleck’s findings of over two million defensive gun uses (DGUs) per year. Kleck has consistently argued since the early 1990s that there are at least 760,000 DGUs annually, with his higher estimates closer to 2.5 million, as reported by Breitbart. Kleck reaffirmed his findings on February 17, 2015, noting that critics have failed to provide empirical evidence to refute them.
Driving is a “privilege,” while owning a firearm is a constitutional “right” under the Second Amendment. A constitutional right holds greater weight than a privilege. Some political leaders seek to erode the U.S. Constitution, including the First Amendment, but that is a separate discussion. See also: ARMED OFF-DUTY FIREFIGHTER HALTS ARMED BODY-ARMOR-WEARING SUSPECT AT MISSOURI WALMART and TEENAGE GIRL FIRES ROUND AT INTRUDERS TO PROTECT SISTERS and GUN-WIELDING GRANDMOTHER HOLDS WANTED MAN AT GUNPOINT.
Background checks for prospective gun owners are essential to prevent violent criminals and the mentally unstable from acquiring firearms. However, believing that stricter gun laws will solve the problems created by mass murderers demonstrates a lack of understanding of human depravity. The evil found in people is why many choose to keep a firearm loaded and readily available. More “good people” with guns are preferable to turning them into criminals through misguided laws. Symbolic actions, such as “Drug Free Zone” signs, do not deter malevolence. How many of the millions of annual defensive handgun uses could have resulted in death without a weapon available to the victim?
As an undercover cop, I’ve drawn my firearm in self-defense on three occasions in high-crime areas, unrelated to my ongoing investigations. I was simply a target, once for carjacking and twice involving armed gang members. I’ve also armed myself at home when perceiving danger. As a private citizen, I want to retain that right!
Familiarity and practice with a defensive firearm are crucial. Avoid keeping a loaded weapon “just in case” without becoming proficient in its use. Children should never have access to firearms. This may seem obvious, but too many children are injured or killed after finding loaded weapons.
If our country wants to eliminate Glock, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, etc., perhaps we should do the same with Ford, Chevy, and Dodge, as automobiles cause far more deaths than firearms.
– Jim McNeff