Facts Are Facts: The Right To Bear Arms Saves Lives

John Newby | June 3 2005

When one reviews our Constitution and in particular the 2nd Amendment guaranteeing every American the right to bear arms, one must understand not only the exact language of the Constitution, but the intent and reasoning behind this document. Our Founding Fathers understood in great detail the need for the citizens to bear arms. To quell a common misconception; it wasn’t so we could all go duck hunting. This provision was put in place to keep our government in check. Our founders clearly understood the nature of government and how power corrupts. For those still a bit confused, our founders understood the right to bear arms assures government can’t take every bit of freedom you have.

Let’s review a few of the frail myths put forth by the media and constitutionally illiterate.

First myth: Countries having implemented gun control or bans have far fewer violent crimes.
Fact #1, absolutely false, in fact the opposite is true. As gun ownership decreases, violent crime usually increases. One needs only to use common sense to understand thugs aren’t the ones turning in their guns.

Second myth: Most murders are committed by law-abiding citizens in a momentary heat of passion before they pull the trigger.
Fact #2, couldn’t be farther from the truth. 75% of murderers have adult criminal records; half of the remaining are juveniles with no ‘adult’ record. Fact is there is no such thing as a good or bad gun. A gun in the hands of a bad person is a dangerous thing. To carry that one step further, bad people will commit crimes with guns or as the government has said, with box cutters. Bottom-line, a gun in the hands of good person only endangers the thugs.

Third myth: More guns equal more crime of all types.
Fact #3, in fact the opposite is again true. More guns equal more criminals having second thoughts before they rape your daughter or burglarize your home. Israel, which actively encourages gun ownership and has what might be the greatest amount of guns per capita roaming the streets, has the lowest homicide rate. Let’s be frank, more firearms causes more violent crime to the same degree that drinking Kool-Aid causes zits.

Fourth myth: The 2nd Amendment doesn’t guarantee the citizens the right to own firearms, it only allows for the militia to do so.
Fact #4, not only have the courts ruled the fallacy of this argument over 30 times, but when one understands the word militia, they will understand the militia is the citizenry of the United States, or in laymen’s terms, you and I.

The fact of the matter is that gun ownership deters crime. Lastly, many will argue there is no need for you or I to have handguns and/or semi-automatic or even automatic weapons. Using the Constitution as the framework for our argument, I would argue you are insane. If the government, police force and thugs have machine guns and so forth, would it not make sense that any citizen using the Constitution as it’s guide should be able to defend themselves against the government, police state or thugs in the same manner? Nothing like defending the home front from the Gestapo or burglars packing their semi-automatic or automatic weapons with your trusty old butter knife or rolled up newspaper.

To go beyond what is said in the public forum, the right for the citizens to bear arms runs much deeper. It is very difficult for a government to completely control its citizens when they all have weapons. It’s much more difficult for tyranny to reign when the citizens can return the fire. So when one reads or hears the McNews continually assaulting gun owners, try to understand the true agenda. That agenda is nothing short of an outright full frontal attack on one of your basic freedoms. H.L. Mencken said it best when he said, “The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule it.”