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Freedom's Phoenix

Self Defense

December 30, 2008 - 12:00am
Richard Sutton by Richard Sutton



I'm just going to put my thesis out there right now - The police cannot protect you!

Let's say that you are sleeping at home when you hear a noise downstairs.  You listen until suddenly you hear someone on the stairs.  You lock your bedroom door and quickly dial 911.  As the dispatcher answers your call the bedroom door is kicked open and you are shot and mortally wounded.  A short while later the police will draw chalk lines around your body, and look for bullets, brass, and fingerprints.  They will attempt to catch the evil critter that killed you but you are, unfortunately, dead. 

You might think that is both a cynical and unlikely scenario and while I certainly hope it is an unlikely scenario (for everyone's sake) I submit that it is not cynical at all.  You could find the same unfortunate result at a car crash, car-jacking, or while walking to the corner store.  There is no one standing directly by to rescue you.  YOU must protect yourself and those you care about. 

From sea to shining sea in this great land of ours the police department mission statements go something like this: "Enforce laws, investigate crime, and apprehend criminals to imrove public safety".  While public safety is a laudable goal it does not require any police officer to guard you 24/7!  There's no money for it, there's no manpower for it, and it is frankly unfair to police officers to expect it. 

There are risks to being armed just as there are risks to being unarmed but passing laws that disarm law-abiding citizens does very, very little to deter criminals from obtaining and carrying guns - precisely because they do not respect the law! 

I also know that many people are concerned that some people should not have guns, but while the mentally challenged are more easily stopped from obtaining firearms, the clever (and even not-so-clever) predators that you feel should not have firearms are just as likely as not  ALREADY CARRYING THEM!  That guy two blocks over that makes you nervous - yes, you can assume he's packin'.  So I have a little trouble seeing how gun restrictions are helping any of us. 

You can also assume that a "War on Firearms" would be every bit as successful as the "War on Drugs" has been.  The Drug War, like Prohibition before it, creates a vast black market that is vast because they provide something popular, and that is extremely violent because they cannot take their business problems to court.  Just imagine what fun a "War on Firearms" would be.  We can't even keep drugs out of our prisons!

For statistical accuracy it should be noted that statistics showing the number of persons killed/injured with a firearm and even killed or injured with their own weapon include suicides which skews the statistics a great deal.  To quote John Lott (author of More Guns Less Crime) from an interview with the University of Chicago Press:


As I've said before - be careful what you believe.  For a deep and objective analysis of the effects of gun carry restrictions within the U.S. consider reading the aforementioned book. 

and remember, PROTECT YOURSELF! 

Related Content:

Self Defense - Richard Sutton
Are You an Anarchist, or a Statist Thug - Nick Coons
Risks and Opportunities - Richard Sutton


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Show Date Aug 2, 2015
Topic Secret Science
