A few days ago, via email, I received the latest edition (Issue 21) of a monthly newsletter from the National Rifle Association (NRA) called the NRA ARMED CITIZEN -- True stories of your right to self-defense in action. The newsletter reported 19 incidents of individuals successfully using guns either at home, on the street, or in their place of business to thwart intruders, robbers, or burglars. The first of the incidents was dated August 1, 2013; the last one was dated September 13, 2013 -- a period of 44 days.
However, the newsletter didn’t mention that during the same 44-day period, based on average numbers (source: www.bradycampaign.org), 3,696 Americans were killed by a gun and another 8,492 were wounded by one. So for each “good” use of a gun during those 44 days, there were 641 “bad” uses of a gun.
Granted, the NRA might not have reported or been aware of all the “true stories of self-defense in action” that occurred during that 44-day period, but I doubt they missed 622 of them in order for the “good” numbers to at least equal the “bad” ones.
The newsletter also failed to mention that if there is a gun in a home, it is 22 times more likely to be used to kill or injure a member of the gun-owner’s family (due to domestic homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting) than to be used in self-defense (source: www.bradycampaign.org),
Most Americans would avoid buying a product that was 622 times as likely to hurt rather than help the general population. Or 22 times more likely to hurt rather than help a family member.
Yet, when it comes to those hand-held killing machines we call guns, too many of our fellow citizens are willing to suspend rational thinking. That’s good for the NRA and other such gun-rights groups and their lobbyists. And it’s good for the gun and ammo manufactures and their well-paid executives. But it’s not so good for the 100,000 or so Americans either killed or wounded by guns every year.
Help reduce this carnage. Call, write, email, or FAX your representatives in Washington, D.C. and tell them to support common sense gun control. Do it today. And do it again next week. And do it again every week after that until they get the message.
You’ll find contact information here:
www.contactingthecongress.org