Many of the gun prohibitionists don’t realize how bloodthirsty they seem when they count only cases where the armed citizen kills a criminal in self-defense. The vast majority of DGU (defensive gun use) saves result in no bloodshed at all when an intended victim or good Samaritan causes the criminal to break off the attack when he realizes he is about to get himself shot.
Defensive gun usages far outnumber incidents of harm inflicted by criminals with guns. Take eight minutes or so and watch this:
We need to stop calling this “gun violence” and start, or more accurately resume, calling it what it is? Crime. This isn’t just a semantic distinction. Language is hugely important, and gun rights opponents have long ago figure out that while they can’t control the facts of the debate, they CAN control the language in which the debate takes place. It’s actually quite clever but insidiously manipulative and tellingly fraudulent.
Agreed. It’s one reason why I (and many others) put the phrase “gun violence” in quotes. Not only does it discount and overshadow violence threatened or inflicted with other weapons (or no weapon at all), it’s a political term that the anti-freedom caucus uses to combine/conflate legal violence (incl. justified DGUs, and incl. DGUs by police) with illegal violence to bolster their numbers.
The same way they include homicides and suicides in “gun deaths”, and for the same reason.
In addition, combining/conflating legal and illegal violence lets them combine/conflate peaceable CCW license holders with violent criminals — since both contribute to “gun violence”, they’re the same, right? — and puts us on the defensive trying to prove that we’re not violent criminals. (Which is intentional on the part of the anti-freedom folks, since epistemologically, proving a negative is darn-near impossible.)
A large part of the culture war is the battle over language. As long as the anti-freedom people and media (but I repeat myself) get to define the terms — literally — we’re going to have a harder time. Thus, politically-loaded and scary phrases like “gun violence”, “gun death”, “mass shooting”, “assault weapon”, “large-capacity magazine”, etc., enter common usage despite being inaccurate and/or divorced from reality.
You need to research the definition of “self defense” and how the law interprets it. I am sorry to hear about your lobotomy … or were you born a moron?
William, help us out: it’s not clear who you’re talking about here.
I apologize, Jim Abraham. I misread your statement. I fully support what you said.
… and the “lobotomy … moron” is still an unnecessary personal attack on a forum that is generally otherwise a great place for “civil” discussions.
Well, the Ramones sing about lobotomies and pin heads, so maybe he’s a punk rocker?
Another total waste of time because its not captioned for us deaf guys.
If you click the “Or watch Video Here” just below the YouTube frame, it opens the original YouTube. Then click the Settings “gear wheel” and select “Subtitles” … I just tried that and it worked for me.
Thanks. Great points in the video. Of course John Lott has been at the forefront of this research and has made many presentations to congress yet the gun grabbers don’t care. I agree with the other commenter that we have to stop letting the left control the language, “gun violence” and “weapons of war.”
The very founding principle of our nation is the natural right to keep and bear the same arms as our government. We fought a war over that very right once, beginning April 19, 1775. Go ahead… Google it, and you’ll see it’s true.
When someone attempts to remove the immutable right of an individual to defend themself from a tyrannical government, they put us right back at April 19, 1775.
The word “right” has to mean something. There has to be a word that describes a condition of where an individual is entitled to have something inherent to our nature that no one, or no government can take away, and that word is “right.”
We have two such rights, and only two. They are:
The right to think, speak, and pray as you wish, right up until the moment you die.
The right to defend yourself by any means available to you, to include any means brought to bear upon you by your attacker, be it from an aggressive animal, individual, mob, or… even your own government..
That’s it. Those are the only two natural rights which can not morally or legally be taken away from innocent, law-abiding American citizens by any individual, or any government. And they’re the only two natural rights protected by our Constitution by PROHIBITING the federal government from violating those rights. Amendments 3 through 10 in the “Bill of Rights,” exist ONLY because government exists to violate those rights. Without government, there would have been no need for Amendments 3 through 10 in the Bill of Rights.
When the government or anyone else lobbies to violate the natural rights of even one innocent law-abiding citizen, they throw out the whole set of rules by which peaceful and respectful people agree to live by, and then… you have anarchy.
People on the left are unquestionably pushing for anarchy. The only question that remains is whether they purposefully mean to have it, or they’re just plain stupid.
That is all.
MP
Just as a public safety reminder, your right to protect yourself does not extend to using force against a lawful arrest, warrant service, etc.
And, at least here in Texas, force is generally not justified against an *unlawful* arrest or search.
Texas Penal code Sec. 9.31. SELF-DEFENSE.
(b) The use of force against another is not justified:
(2) to resist an arrest or search that the actor knows is being made by a peace officer, or by a person acting in a peace officer’s presence and at his direction, even though the arrest or search is unlawful, unless the resistance is justified under Subsection (c);
(c) The use of force to resist an arrest or search is justified:
(1) if, before the actor offers any resistance, the peace officer (or person acting at his direction) uses or attempts to use greater force than necessary to make the arrest or search; and
(2) when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the peace officer’s (or other person’s) use or attempted use of greater force than necessary.
Having studied somewhat deeply the political events of the past couple of centuries, I am strongly convinced they are NOT persuing anarchy, simpliciter.I wish that were so. No, per the patterns observed mostly in Europe a little over an hundred years ago, they are deliberately undermining the established order with what appears to be anarachy, but is a more subtly planned destruction and supplanting of existing order. A regime change is at the root of it, though I do not yet see clearly the replacement regime they are promoting. Perhaps they are merely being subtle in keeping that “close to the vest” so as to avoid triggering a focused opposition to their plan. Takeover is their goal not anarchy. Anarchy is merely one way station along the track to their “utopia”
Gun control = more bodies…
“Better not forget one thing”,…said Col. Trautman to Sheriff Teasel.
MP,
As to whether or not people on the left mean to have anarchy, or they are just stupid, they mean to have anarchy. Anarchy would cause most citizens to clamor for the government to “do something.” This would empower the government, and that is their plan. They want big government, and they want to run it.
The left probably believes that the USA is the greatest nation on earth, but they think so highly of themselves, that they can even make it better! At least, this nation will be better for them if they are running it. Big government is wonderful, if you are part of the ruling party.
Listen to the lyrics of John Lennon’s song, “Imagine.” That describes their vision of utopia.
I suspect you know all this MP. But, maybe it will clarify things for some young readers out there.
Unfortunately, Democrats seldom allow facts to influence their thinking. Recently I read an opinion piece. A woman was writing about how dangerous and devastating AR-15s are. The Assault Weapons Ban started in 1994. That is almost 30 years ago. That woman has had thirty years to research AR-15s, and in her hands she holds a super computer. No matter. She will display her ignorance for all the world to see.
That reminds me of the time President Obama was in Austria, and apologized for not speaking Austrian. Then there was a congressman who believed islands can tip over. There is no hope. We are doomed. Remember learning in history class how superstitious people used to be in previous centuries? We think we are better than people who lived in the 1600s. But, alas, we now believe our actions can influence the climate of the whole earth, and we can bring the climate back into balance if we take even more actions. That sounds pretty superstitious to me.
Science used to eliminate superstition. Now it creates new ones.
And the greatest superstition of all is socialism. No matter how many times it leads to disaster, “This time we’ll get it right!”
Certainly so. Consider how many millions bought the superstition that a silly piece of synthetic rag tossed across our mugs will stop a virus that is so tiny ten thousand of them could “hold hands” and sail through the smallest openings between the fibres in flak formation. Or that, after twenty years of dedicated trying, some drug company would figure out how to make a new technology impart immunity to that same virus with only a few months of trying, and no clinicl testing to verify it DOES work.
well Mas, it’s getting to the point where we have to define LAWFUL arrest. our judicial system is up-side-down and law enforcement is following UNLAWFUL orders…
Apparently, it is OK for the Secret Service to point guns at people following a fender bender. I don’t want to find out what would happen if I did that.
Jim Abraham accurately notes that our opponents cannot control the facts, so they use emotional words to influence people. Scott Adams wrote a book, “Win Bigly”, about persuasion and how people rely more on emotion than on facts & logic to draw conclusions. While we may hate to think that so many people are “impervious to the facts” (to borrow from Thomas Sowell), acknowledging this reality can help us understand how to reach people emotionally to persuade them of guns’ utility.
We need to continue talking about the 1.5 million lives potentially saved annually by defensive gun uses (DGUs). We need to remind people that for the most part, police arrive in time only to collect evidence and interview any survivors–rarely do they arrive in time to prevent the initial act of violence. Also, we can point out that California has led the nation in mass shootings per capita for the past 3 decades despite (because of) their draconian gun laws. Finally, it is useful to observe that most murder victims were unarmed at the time of their demise, while their assailants were not.
We can point out that according to the FBI’s latest Uniform Crime Report, Florida is roughly twice as safe as California or New York. (Florida’s violent crime rate in 2022 was half the rate of California’s and only 60% of NY State’s.)
All of these points are simple and where they contain numbers those numbers are easy to remember. Don’t let your statistics become boring. And while exaggeration is an established technique sometimes used to steer the narrative, I recommend that we avoid such stretching of the truth, as that will undermine our credibility. Rather, we should be truthful & accurate while citing easy-to-understand facts that can drive an emotional point. It may be accurate to describe our opponents as “emotional thinkers”; but, it is an unhelpful observation unless we use it to inform the way we present our arguments, to appeal to their emotions.
The answer is not, as I have done many times, to throw up our hands and say “they are emotional thinkers and cannot be convinced with logic”; but rather we must figure a way to speak their emotional language. One cannot communicate with a totally deaf person by shouting more loudly. Sadly, I have too often been guilty of trying to sway people with detailed statistics and pure logic–only to fail. (Picture the Vulcan, Mr. Spock, but with 1/3 his IQ.) One of my New Year Resolutions is to do better in this regard.
As an aside, that’s a nice muzzle view of a Wilson Combat X9-series pistol (EDC or SF, 4″ or 3.25″?) adorning this article. A touch of Wilson Bore Polish on a soft cleaning patch over a fingertip will gently remove those residual carbon markings on the recessed crown.
Happy New Year to all!
Jeff,
If emotions and attractive messengers are needed to sway public opinion, perhaps we should try to turn Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey into gun enthusiasts.
One function of the 1st Amendment, in the U.S. Bill of Rights, was to try to insure an independent media that is free of Government control. The Founders fully realized the Power of the Press (Media), the Power of Indoctrination and Propaganda, and made an effort to keep that power out of the hands of the Government.
Remember, the U.S. Bill of Rights functions, primarily, to restrain the Power of the Government. Since Leftists are, inherently, orientated toward a “Big Government” Worldview, it is no surprise that they are, inherently, opposed to the U.S. Bill of Rights. For quite a while, the American Left camouflaged itself and pretended to be pro-Rights. That was the function of such organizations as the ACLU. To function as camouflage and to cloak the Lefts inherent totalitarian “Big Government” Worldview.
The Mask of the American/World Left has, finally, been torn. As in Star Trek, their “Cloaking System” is failing. The Left’s base totalitarianism is “Out of the Closet” for anyone, who is willing to pull their head out of the sand, to look at it.
Unfortunately, our 1st Amendment safeguard to prevent the collusion of Government and the Press has failed. The Press is now controlled by global business interests (AKA Big Business). The resulting “Big Business” collaboration has got “in bed” with the Left’s “Big Government” to form a “Big Fascist” consortium.
This has totally compromised the independence of the U.S. Media. The media no longer work as an independent “Watchdog” to protect the interests of the American People. Rather, our media now work to expand the interests of their globalist masters. This is the reason that I consistently refer to them as the “Anti-American” media since their agenda is now, entirely, globalist and leftist in nature and, naturally, is diametrically opposed to the “Small Government” model established by the Founders under the American Republic system.
Today, we are fully seeing the disastrous consequences of having our media heavily controlled by Anti-American and Leftist “Big Government” groups. The full power of the Anti-American media is available to these totalitarians. One primary goal, of any totalitarian Government, is to disarm the People so as to turn them into Serfs of the State. This acts to negate the rise of a Citizen opposition. A true, totalitarian “Big Government”, as desired by the Leftist Worldview, can only exist if the People are disarmed and cowed by a Government-controlled Army. China is a prime example of this model and China represents the ideal for our domestic totalitarians. Do you really think that the ties between the Biden Administration and China are an accident? That they are merely driven by the greed of the Bidens? Are you really surprised at the mild response to China’s espionage efforts (including aerial spy balloons and penetration by Chinese agents)?
The totalitarians in Washington, D.C. and the totalitarians in Beijing have a natural affinity. They have a shared Worldview.
Given all of the above, the persistent efforts of the totalitarians to disarm the American People, under the guise of Crime Control, is totally understandable. It is a natural path open to them to attain their goal of perpetual “Big Government” Power.
Naturally, they use their control of the Anti-American Media in their efforts. Thus, we see the media being totally in the camp of the Firearms-Prohibitionists. Forgive the pun but the media is one of the “Big Guns” that the totalitarian prohibitionists are bringing to bear in their quest of universal power.
The power of the Anti-American Media has any aspects. However, two of their most powerful ones are:
1) As noted above, they use their Media operatives to re-define the English language. They define, and then propagate terms, such as “Gun Violence” and “Assault Weapon”, that give them a “Home Field Advantage” in any debate on the issue of force disarmament.
2) They have the power of the editor. They select not only what to report but, also, what to suppress. This gives them the power to skew reporting in favor of the prohibitionists. Thus, whenever a firearms-related mass-murder incident happens, they play it up with extensive reporting thereby giving the public the false sense that these incidents are as common as dirt. On the other hand, they actively suppress reports on the legal, defensive, use of firearms. Thus giving the impression that such incidents are extremely rare. Yet, as the video above reports, these legal uses are extremely common and outnumber the negative, criminal usages. By playing up the negative while suppressing the positive aspects, of firearm ownership, they systemically brainwash the public into having a very negative view of firearm ownership thereby setting the groundwork for their eventual confiscation in the name of “Public Safety”.
The totalitarians and prohibitionists (but I repeat myself) have, truly, amassed a powerful toolbox of propaganda/indoctrination/control tools. They are using every one of these tools to push their agenda hard. The American People have their worst enemies already within the gates. Indeed, the forces arraigned against the American People are so terrible, only a general “Awaking” of the American People to their danger can turn the situation around. Sadly, at least half our our population seems determined to remain asleep. Like the frog in the fable, they are too comfortable to jump out of the pot even as the water begins to boil around them!
2024 should be interesting in the “Peoples Republic of Illinois”. The clock is ticking down and the new PICA(gun) law is going into full effect on Jan 1 when the Illinois governor realizes he is dealing with mass disobedience of his “subjects”, I mean citizens….What will happen next in the arena of enforcement of this grossly unconstitutional gun grab is anybody’s guess especially when 90 of the states 102 county Sheriffs said they will not enforce this bullshit law…..I would imagine there will be arrests made and the media will play it up into a big propaganda circus to get everyone afraid of the “jackboot’s stepping high doing door to door searches of their neighborhoods in an attempt to force greater compliance…..makes one wonder if many of these illegal aliens will fill the ranks of the governor’s new Gestapo police force……Illinois first in the nation to pass a law allowing illegals to be hired in law enforcement agencies.
Interesting thread.
One thing was brought up and that is about America being the greatest country in the world.
With the exception of almost unlimited semi automatic weapons and handguns we really don’t have anything more than a lot of other countries offer except a crappy healthcare system, relatively high taxes for the services offered, and a nation speeding towards third world status.
I’ll stay here and continue to support, or try to support, the Constitution but from what I’m seeing it’s not going to last much longer. I’m just thankful I don’t have any crotch monkeys that I’m leaving this mess to. I’m too old to start over but if I was young I’d pick another country and beat feet out of here.
Comments are closed.