However, that is not the whole story. As a nation, we make the mistake of paying attention to what we see and not what we do not. For the most part, it's a blameless phenomenon. Naturally it is easier to place so much of our attention on what is observable, to include the first order effects of our policy decisions. What we ignore, however, are the thousands of people every year whose lives are saved, whose sexual dignity is protected, and whose property is safeguarded because of either the direct intervention of a gun or the probability that a would-be killer, rapist, or robber avoids confrontation for fear of an armed target. This is statistically supported: The 31 states that have "shall issue" laws allowing concealed carry have, on average, a 24% lower violent crime rate, a 19% lower murder rate, and a 39% lower robbery rate than states that forbid concealed carry weapons. Additionally, the nine states with the lowest violent crime rates are all right-to-carry states (Citation).
On an international level, the recent ban on guns in Australia provides a perfect comparison given the similarity of the two countries, especially the crime rates of each, prior to the ban taking effect in 1997. In 2007, nine years after the gun ban, the percent of murders committed with a firearm reached an all-time high of 16.3%. From 1995-2007, covering the two years immediately prior to the ban and ten years after, assault rose 49.2%; robbery rose 6.2%; and rape increased 29.9%. It is important to note, for comparison, that during the same time period in the United States, aggravated assault decreased 32.2%; robbery decreased 33.2%; and rape decreased 19.2%. While I would certainly not be so naive as to insist that Australia's violent crime increases, which are even more dramatic given America's decreases, are a 100% result of its gun ban, the timing seems to be far too large of a coincidence to ignore. One more troubling statistic in comparing the two countries: Australian women are now, following the country's gun ban, three times more likely to be raped than their American counterparts (Citation).
And finally, when we look at the issue of public massacres and school shootings, more statistics actually point to the security that guns, or even the possibility of the presence of a gun, provides. With one exception (the Gabby Giffords shooting in Tuscon in 2011), every single public murder in the United States since 1950 in which more than three people have been killed have ALL taken place in areas where guns are supposedly prohibited: schools, universities, government buildings, etc. In fact, it is known that the Aurora, Colorado "Batman Killer" specifically chose the movie theater he did, despite being further from his home, because it did not allow guns on the premises, even by licensed and responsible citizens (Citation).
But statistics don't change minds, despite how much I, as a rational person, seem to think they should. It seems that in the public opinion, sympathy and emotion are a much more valuable currency than facts. It is easy to see the victims of the most recent school shooting and hear their stories. What is more difficult is for the public to see those estimated 2 million people a year who are saved through the presence of a firearm, either in their own hands or the hands of a responsible citizen close by. Those people will never have their names read by the President on national television, nor will the media commit 24 hour coverage for a solid week to those people because, let's face it, that wouldn't sell a lot of ad time. But before we make decisions that could take away the very tool that is saving so many lives every year to prevent you from suffering an event that, without trying to sound callous, has the same probability as being struck by lightening, it is important to see the other side of the coin.
This blog will be dedicated to finding and posting the news stories you will never see on CNN or MSNBC about people who are saved by a gun. It will also seek stories of people who commit mass murder with objects other than a gun around the world, especially in countries with strict gun laws. The purpose is not to try to pretend that crimes do not occur with firearms; although it may appear that way, the expectation is simply to balance out the main stream media, and they will certainly cover those stories ad nauseum.
I am not affiliated with the NRA, nor do I own stock or work for any private commercial interest involved in the manufacture, distribution, or sale of firearms. I have no personal interest in the matter other than to balance what appears to be irresponsible reporting so that "public opinion" can be better informed and we may more rationally discuss a matter which I believe to be at the heart of individual self-sufficiency.
Comments will not be permitted; I'm not looking to debate, just report. You can send hatemail, but it won't be read or responded to and your email address will be set up to auto-delete any further correspondence, so feel free to waste your time if that's your thing. If you have a local news story to report that fits the criteria for the type of news I am looking for, please help me out and send it to rationality.rebooted@gmail.com. The success or failure of this endeavor lies, to a large extent, in the hands of readers who can send in the stories that I may never hear about, given that many of these types of stories never make it above the fold in even a regional newspaper.
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