Carrying guns will stop violent crimes
Brian Ridley
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Opinions
Are all of the amendments in the Bill of Rights equally important? Should we uphold some while not upholding others? That seems to be the trend we are increasingly seeing in our society.
The Supreme Court has been making its living these days by overstepping the boundaries of the 10th Amendment.
States are losing their rights of self-governance on a daily basis. The First Amendment often is set aside when someone is persecuted for making a comment that doesn't fit the politically correct mold.
Even on Texas Tech's campus, free speech is limited to special "free speech areas" designated by the school. Moreover, there is an ongoing battle on how the Second Amendment can be whittled away.
Anti-gun groups constantly are fighting to remove guns from our society, regardless of our constitutional right to bear them.
What possible good would it do to remove guns from society? Well, groups who espouse "gun control" - or should I say anti-gun groups - say if we outlaw guns, then crimes committed with guns will go away.
That sounds nice; who wouldn't love for crime to go away? But when forced to deal with reality, these anti-gun ideas don't hold true. In fact, they don't even lower the number of crimes committed. Studies show more restrictions on citizens owning guns causes the crime rate to increase.
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, New Jersey adopted one of the most stringent gun laws in the nation in 1966. Two years later the murder rate was up 46 percent, and the robbery rate nearly had doubled.
After implementing a series of harsh anti-gun laws, Hawaii's murder rate tripled from 1968 to
1977. Washington, D.C., imposed one of the most restrictive gun-control laws in the nation in 1976. In the time since, the city's murder rate has grown 134 percent.
In that time, the national average actually has dropped 2 percent. Luckily for the citizens of D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in 2007 that the legislation there restricting personal gun carrying was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court has been making its living these days by overstepping the boundaries of the 10th Amendment.
States are losing their rights of self-governance on a daily basis. The First Amendment often is set aside when someone is persecuted for making a comment that doesn't fit the politically correct mold.
Even on Texas Tech's campus, free speech is limited to special "free speech areas" designated by the school. Moreover, there is an ongoing battle on how the Second Amendment can be whittled away.
Anti-gun groups constantly are fighting to remove guns from our society, regardless of our constitutional right to bear them.
What possible good would it do to remove guns from society? Well, groups who espouse "gun control" - or should I say anti-gun groups - say if we outlaw guns, then crimes committed with guns will go away.
That sounds nice; who wouldn't love for crime to go away? But when forced to deal with reality, these anti-gun ideas don't hold true. In fact, they don't even lower the number of crimes committed. Studies show more restrictions on citizens owning guns causes the crime rate to increase.
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, New Jersey adopted one of the most stringent gun laws in the nation in 1966. Two years later the murder rate was up 46 percent, and the robbery rate nearly had doubled.
After implementing a series of harsh anti-gun laws, Hawaii's murder rate tripled from 1968 to
1977. Washington, D.C., imposed one of the most restrictive gun-control laws in the nation in 1976. In the time since, the city's murder rate has grown 134 percent.
In that time, the national average actually has dropped 2 percent. Luckily for the citizens of D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in 2007 that the legislation there restricting personal gun carrying was unconstitutional.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 51
Dick McGlynn
posted 1/23/08 @ 12:50 AM CST
RE: Carrying guns will stop violent crimes by Brian Ridley (1/23/08)
Ridley attributes to Thomas Jefferson a quotation that apparently comes from criminologist Cesare Beccaria. (Continued…)
George Gant
posted 1/23/08 @ 1:38 AM CST
I just love the way the Paranoid (they're constantly trying to take my Liberties away from me...they're everywhere, under every rock, behind every desk in class. (Continued…)
Allen
posted 1/23/08 @ 8:20 AM CST
I think it is crazy as well to continue to speak about how the founding fathers wanted things to be this way. I am sure the founding fathers never thought that we would be driving in cars and flying across oceans, and as George put it shooting each other for fun and not self-defense. (Continued…)
Conrad Ege
posted 1/23/08 @ 10:04 AM CST
Gun control or No gun control, there will be no effect on Homicides in given areas. Homicides that occur are a reflection of a communitie's lack of unity and tolerance for crime. (Continued…)
Cherill
posted 1/23/08 @ 11:26 AM CST
I have a little story for our writer...
One day a 3rd year Tech law student is served with divorce papers early one evening. After reading them and stewing over them he gets violently mad. (Continued…)
KT
posted 1/23/08 @ 11:58 AM CST
When it comes to guns, conservatives are all for free markets and fewer restrictions. The idea that banning guns can create a vacuum that petty black market thugs with few scruples can fill quite easily is not totally without merit. (Continued…)
mark.williamson
Mark Williamson
posted 1/23/08 @ 12:04 PM CST
First of all, times have changed. But, they've changed as much for criminals and other threats as they have for everyone else. Just because guns are more powerful doesn't mean the founding fathers would automatically say they are unreasonable. (Continued…)
Common Sense
posted 1/23/08 @ 2:19 PM CST
"KT
posted 1/23/08 @ 1:31 PM CST
So, by conservative logic, drugs should be legal because guns and pharmaceutical medications are. "
ok so following your disturbing liberal logic. (Continued…)
Common Sense
posted 1/23/08 @ 2:33 PM CST
[QUOTE id="915626fa-1978-43d2-aba3-7daecf8ce6bd"]
[QUOTE id="915626fa-1978-43d2-aba3-7daecf8ce6bd"]
So, by conservative logic, drugs should be legal because guns and pharmaceutical medications are. (Continued…)
Fred
posted 1/23/08 @ 4:10 PM CST
Wow, the talented, but crazy, Mr. Ridley.
Just how has the Supreme Court been overstepping the 10th Amendment? It is their duty to rule on issues regarding the Constitution which is, as reaffirmed by the 10th Amendment, the supreme law of the land. (Continued…)
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