Right you are, the crime rate overall is primarily a function of the state of the economy, and specifically the absolute number of unemployed men between the ages of 16 and 24 (as my memory serves, might have been 26).
However, the rate of violent crime goes down very sigificantly as the rate of concealed handgun carry goes up, no matter what the overall crime rate is doing. Florida was the first state to demonstrate that relationship.
-- Marc, Kawasaki KLR650 A12, Loveland, Colorado, USA
----Original Message-----
>From: Dan Oaks
>To: FGJ ; DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com>;
>Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] Re: NKLR stoppies (in the criminal sense)
>Date: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 07:02
>
>I believe that any law abiding citizen that is capable of learning how to
>use a firearm and has the desire to own one should be able to own one.
>
>But to attach the rise and fall of violent crimes to gun ownership is
>unreasonable.
>
>Every politician that has been in office for the past 10 years and every law
>enforcement agency, and every non-gun owner, and every gun owner wants
>credit for the downturn in violent crime.
>
>In fact, violent crimes go up and down most radically with the turn of the
>economy. Jobs keep people off the street, and give people the sense of
>accomplishment and of belonging.
>
>Christmas should be banned because violent crime increases near and during
>the Holidays.
>
>Get your guns ready boys, the economy is going to hell, and Christmas is
>coming.
>
>Don't tell me about how many people are killed by guns unless you're willing
>to include statistics of how many asses were saved by guns during the same
>period of time, and in the same society.
>
>Guns save many more lives than they take.
>
>In the case of suicide, guns save untold lives. How many more people would
>die at the hands of a suicidal driver in 4000 lb. Buick at 120 mph.
>
>If I were a criminal I would pick on people that relied on cell phones,
>alarms, and the authorities for their security. It's proven to be the safer
>choice for criminals every day. It was proven again on September 11, 2001.
>
>I carry a gun and a cell phone in my vehicle (legal). If I am carjacked by a
>criminal with a cell phone, I will trade him tit-for-tat with my cell phone.
>But if the criminal uses any other weapon, and if the opportunity arises, I
>will resort to using my gun until the authorities arrive to save my ass.
>
>The effectiveness of gun control and security provided by authorities is
>demonstrated regularly in Ireland. Maybe we should send our cell phones to
>Ireland.
>
>All of these arguments add up to nothing. What counts is: the US
>Constitution gives every Citizen the right to protect himself and his or her
>family. Whether you choose to protect yourself and your family with a cell
>phone or a 357 Magnum is your business alone. You must live (or die) with
>the consequenses.
>
>I just wish I could have handed any one of my own handguns to the crew on
>United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Never mind the airport security, the
>authorities, and the cell phones; they were proven totally worthless when
>the chips were down.
>
>I live in Florida, where Citizens have demonstrated for several years,
>beyond a shadow of a doubt to me, that carrying a gun does not result in
>problems of any kind, and may even reduce the potential for same. I feel
>much safer knowing that, in Florida, when I walk into McDonald's, someone is
>probably legally armed with a handgun. The likelyhood of anyone gunning down
>everyone there without any resistance is most remote.
>
>--
>bierdo
>
>We must learn to shoot accurately as we ride.
Fred J
We all have our beliefs and all societies make their own compromises. Who is
right? Seems to be a lot of places where people are happy with their system.
Just another choice I guess.
Riley
Montreal
Bogdan Swider wrote: