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The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

A defenseless America?

“In the past year I have been more and more involved with guns and my rights to own and use them. Growing up as a true conservative, with conservative parents, I always knew that our guns were important but I never had any reason to look any deeper into the matter.”

In the past year I have been more and more involved with guns and my rights to own and use them. Growing up as a true conservative, with conservative parents, I always knew that our guns were important but I never had any reason to look any deeper into the matter. Until now. This election has provided me with a lot of incentive to become proactive about protecting these basic rights. With the threat of having Obama elected, my family and I have begun to get serious about guns.

Over the past six months both my brothers, my soccer-mom sister and my parents have all made at least one handgun purchase. My brother, my father, and I have all taken the necessary classes for the certification to carry a concealed handgun. You may ask, Why so much, so quickly? The answer is simple: we want to utilize our right to keep and bear arms before it is too late; before Barack and gun control take over the Oval Office.

Obama’s views on gun control are alarming and unfounded. He endorsed a handgun ban in his home state of Illinois that would have prevented law-abiding citizens from using guns for self-defense. He has voted in favor of legislation that would limit the number of guns a citizen is allowed to buy. He wants to tolerate Conceal-Carry laws for retired police officers only.

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Even with all this evidence of his hatred towards firearms, he has the audacity to claim that, he respects the 2nd Amendment. This is yet another of his attempts to flip-flop on issues to gain as many votes as he can. But for now, let’s just run with the idea that Barack should get his way and mandate gun control in America.

Proponents of gun control claim that banning guns would lower the crime rate. Numerous reports and studies from Congress, the Congressional Research Service, the National Institute of Justice and even researchers who support gun control have found no evidence that gun control reduces crime. A 2004 FBI report shows that while guns were in the hands of Americans the total violent crime rate declined every year from 1991 to 2004, putting the 2004 violent crime rate at a 30-year low. The murder rate had fallen to a 39-year low. Also, with more and more states adopting Conceal-Carry laws, violent crimes are declining even more.

In 1987, there were only 10 states with the Conceal-Carry law. Today there are 38 states that allow citizens to apply for the permit. Statistics comparing these 38 states to those that do not offer the option for Conceal-Carry show that violent crime is 21 percent less likely to occur. Murder rates are lower on average by 28 percent robbery by 43 percent, and aggravated assault by 13 percent.

There are also those who claim that a gun in the household is more of a danger to the owner than a means of protection. They try to scare citizens away from guns by saying that people who own firearms are more likely to shoot themselves than they are to use their guns for self-defense.

Responsible gun ownership puts the power to stop crime in the hands of citizens, not just the hands of law enforcement. When your life is on the line, don’t rely on the government to bail you out. Just look how long it took them to bail us out last week. By the time the police come to your rescue, it could be too late. This is the reason why we as Americans should vote for candidates that support our 2nd Amendment rights, not strip us of them.

Before you go cast your vote a month from now, take into account the facts of the matter. If Barack Obama is willing to get rid of something as fundamental as the right to bear arms, than what else is he willing to do?

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