Shooting death ruled justifiable after juvenile shoots back at intruder

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A recent homicide at a Columbia apartment complex has been determined to be justified after a man tried to break into an apartment and was shot by a juvenile, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

On Sunday, February 6, around 5 p.m., deputies responded to Gable Hill Apartments on Ross Road after receiving reports of an unresponsive man.

Upon their arrival, deputies say they found a man inside of an apartment who was deceased. He appeared to have a gunshot wound to the upper body and evidence of a shooting was observed in the apartment, according to investigators.

During the investigation, deputies say they discovered that two juveniles were at home when they saw a man trying to break in. The juveniles hid but when the man entered the apartment, he fired at them. Deputies say one of the juveniles shot back with a weapon that was in the home and struck the intruder.

“We continue to lose young people to gun violence,” Richland County Sheriff Leon said. “This community problem will only continue until we get parents and young people involved in the solution. Let’s pray and work together before we lose another life.”

Concealed carry holder shoots man who is armed with a knife in Rogers Park

A concealed carry holder who was investigating a domestic disturbance at his neighbor’s home shot a 19-year-old man who was armed with a knife on Tuesday evening, police said. After being shot, the injured man, still armed with a knife, encountered responding Chicago police officers who deployed a Tazer to take him into custody, according to a CPD report.

Officers were called to the 1500 block of West Juneway Terrace to handle a domestic incident around 10:43 p.m. One of the calls came from the concealed carry holder, who told police that he heard a loud argument coming from his neighbor’s residence, police said in a media statement.

The CCL holder went to the neighbor’s home where a woman was in a confrontation with her 19-year-old son, who appeared to be in the midst of a mental episode while holding a knife, the CPD report said.

Police said the CCL holder left the area, but the 19-year-old followed him with the knife and “continued to approach” the man. The neighbor drew his gun in an alley and shot the 19-year-old, striking him once in the leg, according to the CPD report.

When patrol officers arrived in the area, they encountered the 19-year-old walking down the street toward them with a knife in his hand, the police report said. The officers used a Tazer to gain control of him and placed him in custody.

EMS took the 19-year-old to St. Francis Hospital, where emergency workers determined that an injury to his leg, initially believed to be a self-inflicted cut, was a gunshot wound. He was listed in good condition, police said.

EMS also checked out the 19-year-old’s mother for a minor injury to her hand.

Area Three detectives are investigating the incident.

Hypocrisy O’ The Day

From The Atlantic ,which is a laugh, as the staff there were rabid pro-mask/pro lockdown……up until the politics changed.

Open Everything. The time to end pandemic restrictions is now.

Observation O’ The Day

Hamburglar shows truth of mass shoplifting — it’s not about poor, it’s about money-making thieves.

“If shoplifting is a crime of poverty, now an article of progressive faith, how come shoplifters tend to hit the high-end shelves? . . . And why is it that the craft beer is carted off, but rarely the low-end brews? Easy. Because the bodegas that are fencing the goods aren’t interested in canned meat, off-brand ice cream or skunky beer. They want the good stuff. And now things have gotten so bad that even Al Sharpton is torqued.”

5th-graders learn to shoot guns by using school gym as target range

A school district in Wyoming posted pictures of 5th and 6th grade students shooting targets with air rifles in a school gym.

A school district in Wyoming recently used a gymnasium as a shooting range, training fifth and sixth grade students in marksmanship during PE. Hot Springs County School District #1, in the small town of Thermopolis, shared photos of the sharpshooting session in a Feb. 2 Facebook post, and it quickly caught the attention of thousands.

McClatchy News has obtained a screengrab of the Facebook post, which is no longer publicly available. In the pictures, the children are seen aiming air rifles across the gym at a set of targets propped up against the bleachers with what appears to be plywood.

Often a child’s introduction to the world of firearms, air rifles generally use gas stored in a small canister to propel a BB or pellet out of the barrel at relatively high speed. While far less lethal than true firearms, they can cause serious harm in some circumstances. “All students passed their safety test and have been sharpening their skills,” the post said.

As of the morning of Feb. 8, the post had garnered 13,000 reactions and 5,700 comments and had been shared over 60,000 times. For perspective, the population of Thermopolis is around 2,700.

“This is what America needs more of,” one comment read.
“Education and responsible firearm ownership.”
“This is so awesome! Probably one of the safest schools in the country too,” a commenter wrote.
“I need to find a school like this for my son once he’s old enough!”
“CA masks their kids, Wyoming teaches marksmanship,” said another.

Of the nearly 6,000 comments, most are in support of the district.

Well, he’s a politician which means he’s a professional liar.

Beto’s about-face on AR-15s: “I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone”

Virtually every poll in the state of Texas shows Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign is in serious trouble, but the biggest sign that the Democrat is failing to make inroads with Texas voters came on Tuesday, as O’Rourke was stumping for votes in Tyler.

Here we are in 2022, and suddenly O’Rourke has a very different message for Texas voters.

Speaking to reporters, O’Rourke also took a question about his controversial stance on guns and remarks made in 2019 about taking away AR-15s and AK-47s.

“I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone. What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment,” he said. “I want to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans far better than we’re doing right now. And that we listen to law enforcement, which Greg Abbott refused to do. He turned his back on them when he signed that permitless carry bill that endangers the lives of law enforcement in a state that’s seen more cops and sheriff’s deputies gunned down than in any other.”

So the guy who said he was coming for our guns now claims he wants to defend the Second Amendment, yet in the same breath declares that protecting our right to keep and bear arms means criminalizing carrying a gun without a government permission slip? Does he actually think anyone is going to buy his supposed newfound respect for the Second Amendment when he keeps belittling it?

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Unless you’ve had a grounding in how the Stoner system really works, a good set of tools and Technical manuals, and a certain amount of experience working on ARs (like say having been a military and/or civil service small arms repairer as I was) you may wind up better off buying either a whole factory built rifle, or factory built uppers to go with factory built lower. From my experience, the manufacturers, especially those that have or have had military contracts, don’t just meet the standards of the Technical Data Package, but purposefully exceed it.

Is It Better to Go Factory or Build a One-Off AR-15?

The Hard Truth About Costs Associated with an AR

You can build your own AR! You could probably also buy a better AR with included liability protection (in the form of headspacing and specification pairing) and a brand name cohesive look for less than the build price.

Sure, price isn’t always everything, but it matters, especially when you can get factory integrated high end rifles with desirable third party accessories or brand collaborations, and it costs less than the parts total for your buildout.

Is it always the truth that factory builds are cheaper or offer more bang for the buck? No. In fact, for large swaths of time in the past 15 years there were periods where builders enjoyed a parts glut on the market and the manufacturers were more expensive for the same thing as what you could build for a couple hours (or less) of assembly time.

Right now, it’s pretty close to even, with a slight advantage on the low end side of the market for the factories over a parts build.

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I Was Anti-Gun And A Pregnant Mother When Home Invaders Broke Into My House

(SOFREP invites reader submissions for publication. Today we offer you this harrowing story from one of our members named Marcie who writes about how a home invasion while she was pregnant and home alone with her other child changed her entire worldview when it came to gun ownership.)

Few people would look at me now and think that, but yes, I used to believe that guns were a danger to society.

The media likes to show us gun violence all the time, with the insinuation that it’s the gun, not the person, who did the crime. Rarely do they show you examples of guns being used in self-defense. Most people who promote gun control live in quiet neighborhoods where residents see guns as almost alien.

But if you have ever lived in a dangerous place, then you know the importance of guns. That’s what happened to me when I moved to Tolleson, Arizona, two years ago.

I moved there to live with my husband, who is a firefighter. After moving, my husband needed to leave town for training. So I was left home alone, pregnant with our child. I didn’t mind too much, as I thought it would be a little staycation. I couldn’t go anywhere, anyway, since our clunker of a car was in the shop.

In hindsight, I should have known that no car being at our home for an extended period made the wrong people think that both of us were gone. Sure enough, that happened. When two thieves broke into my home through the kitchen door, it happened so suddenly that I had no plan of action. My heart racing, I ran into the bathroom where I thought it was safe and took out my phone.

I frantically started to call 911. However, my phone could not get through to a responder. The bathroom was a dead zone for phone service where I lived. However, my phone was connected to my WiFi. I contacted my sister on Facebook, and she managed to call 911.

As I waited for the police to come, my heart continued to race. What if the police did not respond in time? There are many cases of the police taking too long to respond to a situation that requires immediate action, as many factors can delay response time.

As I heard the thieves rustling around the house, I wondered what they would do. Steal my TV or jewelry? That was replaceable. However, what if they found me and did something horrifying to my unborn child and me?

All these worries soon subsided, luckily, as the police did arrive in only a few minutes. After seeing the police approach my door, the thieves immediately ran away, their pockets empty. One bystander told me the thieves were armed as I was filing a report. Once again, those thoughts about what the thieves could have done to me immediately raced to my head.

It was at that point I realized I needed to arm myself. Since then, I have never left home without a pistol. I have to protect myself, my husband, and our two-year-old daughter. Chances are, you have someone you want to save. I recommend arming yourself as well with an easy-to-access pistol.

Speaking of pistol, what’s my favorite? As a woman, I wanted something easily concealable that I could fire at a moment’s notice. I wanted something powerful yet easy to use for a more petite frame.

Upon research, I chose the SIG Sauer P365. This 9mm pistol is a little under 6 inches wide and slightly above 4 inches tall, making it perfect for concealing. Despite its small frame, it holds ten rounds and packs quite a wallop. Any woman can use it to even the odds if a thief enters their home. With its small trigger, it doesn’t matter how small you are. You can fight back.

That’s my story. Since having a gun, I’ve felt safer, and I’ve found a new hobby to enjoy. If you’ve been interested in owning a firearm, now is the time to do so. I hope this article helped you learn where I’m coming from when advocating for guns.

They made a movie about this.

An AI robot nanny will care for human embryos in artificial wombs.

Scientists in China created an AI robot system that cares for human embryos growing in artificial wombs, a report from The Independent reveals.

When we think of AI-monitored humans in artificial wombs we think of the dystopian sci-fi future presented in ‘The Matrix’. However, the researchers behind the very real project believe their new system will be a force for good that will help to boost China’s population — the country is currently dealing with its lowest birth rate in six decades.

The team, from Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, designed the robot to constantly monitor and care for human embryos by adjusting the nutrition, carbon dioxide, and other important factors in the artificial embryos. They claim the new robot-assisted artificial womb is a safer and more efficient method for growing embryos than a natural womb, though no human trials have been conducted so far.

Investigating the ‘unsolved mysteries’ of embryonic development

The researchers, who outlined their project in a paper in the Journal of Biomedical Engineering, explained how it could rank embryos based on their development potential. The paper also described how the scientists have already tested their system on animal embryos.

In their paper, the researchers say their system could help to uncover “many unsolved mysteries about the physiology of typical human embryonic development.” What’s more, it could also “also provide a theoretical basis for solving birth defects and other major reproductive health problems.”

It’s worth noting that the researchers’ system is very much in the concept phase, and then there is the fact that they likely wouldn’t be cleared for human trials given laws on experimenting with human fetuses. Still, China does have somewhat of a track record for controversial experiments. In 2019, for example, scientists from Spain and China teamed up to develop human-monkey hybrid embryos. What’s more, if the situation were to get progressively worse when it comes to China’s declining birth rate, the country has been known to take drastic action in the past when it comes to controlling the size of its population.

PRESIDENT BIDEN CALLS LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS ‘THE RESISTANCE’

President Joe Biden traveled to New York City for a media event to try and show America he’s doing something about rampant crime. Instead, he blamed the Second Amendment and lawful gun owners, said nothing about holding criminals to account and repeated the same tired lies about the firearm industry he keeps at the ready – lies “fact-checked” as being false each time he’s previously recited them.

It makes no difference to the president. He’s not even trying anymore. To President Biden and national gun control groups the problem is always the gun and the law-abiding members of the industry. It’s never the criminal.

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Alaska Freedom Convoy Rolls on in Support of Canadian Truckers

Truckers traveled from Anchorage to Eagle River, Alaska, over the weekend in support of a massive truck convoy in Ottawa, Canada, to protest coronavirus vaccine mandates in order to conduct cross-border business.

More than 100 truck drivers took part in the Alaskan convoy, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

“Truck drivers and other service providers since Jan. 15 can only enter Canada if they are fully vaccinated,” the Associated Press reported. “A week later, the U.S. required vaccinations from essential non-resident travelers.”

“We have to have the shot stamps on our medical cards in order to go out of state, and we don’t want them,” Jeremy Speldrich, a truck driver with GMG General, Inc. of Anchorage,” said in the AP report. “Mandates should be our choice, whether you want the shots or not.”

AP reported that a second convoy of truckers drove from Eagle River north to the Wasilla area in a show of support of their northern brothers. And similar events were reported in Fairbanks and late last month in Juneau.

Fox News also reported on the “Alaska Freedom Convoy” in support of the Canadian “Freedom Convoy,” which is entering its second week.

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Apparently to DHS, speech (Other Than Authorized Government Speech) constitutes  a “Terrorism Threat”

When do you think they’ll arrest fauci?

The Department of Homeland Security Just Smeared Americans Who Question Government on COVID, Elections as a ‘Terrorism Threat’

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DHS

If you question the government, you might be a terrorist threat. At least, that’s what the US Department of Homeland Security just suggested in a new National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin.

The DHS statement warned against a heightened terrorist threat environment they blame on several factors, including “the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions.” For examples of such terrorism-fueling, dangerous speech the DHS cited “widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19.”

Also among the supposed causes of terrorism? An “online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors.”

It gets worse.

The advisory warned that “These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence. Mass casualty attacks and other acts of targeted violence conducted by lone offenders and small groups acting in furtherance of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances pose an ongoing threat to the nation.”

Sounds pretty scary. So who are these actors we should be on guard against? Um, literally you. Anyone who “sow(s) discord or undermine(s) public trust in U.S. government institutions” is officially considered a threat to the nation, according to this statement.

Frankly, this DHS statement is a more real and pressing threat to most Americans than terrible but extremely, extremely rare terrorist attacks.

Throughout our history, the US government has used its agencies to label individuals as terrorists and a threat. This label is often a pretext used to then undermine their work, stalk them, threaten them, and many believe, even kill them. One need look no further back in history than how the federal government grossly mistreated Martin Luther King, Jr. to find evidence of that.

For the record, anyone in their right mind is questioning US government institutions at this point.

They have unconstitutionally spied on all of us, stripped us of due process, trampled on our economic freedom, and shielded themselves from liability through qualified immunity. They’ve shut down our businesses and our schools, taken away our livelihoods, and used our taxes to further unjust wars and pad the pockets of their friends. Now, they want to label you a terrorist if you acknowledge what is being done to you.

Moreover, painting criticism, ideas, and theories as a threat to safety is always the first way oppressive governments set the stage to attack free speech.

It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it should enrage you nonetheless.

Georgia looking at enhanced weapons permits

In the state of Georgia, you’re required to have a permit to carry a firearm in any way. We’ve written a bunch about how constitutional carry is up for consideration, which is a good thing.

However, it’s far from the only pro-gun bill in the General Assembly, either.

One would basically recognize concealed carry bills from every other state. Frankly, if constitutional carry passes, that wouldn’t be overly useful.

Yet another bill would create enhanced permits here in the state.

The State General Assembly is working through multiple bills that could spell more relaxed gun control for Georgians and an even deeper partisan divide.

With the Governor’s support, State Republicans are pushing five different bills that make it easier for citizens to carry weapons.…

Then, there’s HB 903.

Though similar to the other constitutional carry bills, HB 903 takes it up a notch with the concept of an “enhanced carry permit.” Qualified adults wouldn’t need a concealed permit, but those who take a training course could take their weapons into even more places with this special license.

Representative Joseph Gullett, from Dallas, is behind it.

“I would say the constitution allows us to carry weapons and to have weapons. And I think the more accustomed you are, the more training you have, the more comfortable you are, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I think it’s what the constitution is allowing us,” said Gullett.

Of course, anti-Second Amendment lawmakers in the state oppose this and all the other pro-gun measures.
Shocking, I know.
What I like about the bill is that it doesn’t undermine constitutional carry, but instead works with it and provides an avenue for carrying in more places.

Look, what I’d like to see is what anti-gun types would call “The Wild West.” Namely, everyone carrying whatever they want, wherever they want.

That’s not going to happen, though. Georgians may generally lean pro-gun, but they’ve grown up and comfortable with a certain level of restrictions on those rights. I’m not justifying it, just explaining it. As such, we’re never going to get there.

What does that have to do with enhanced permits? Simple. These permits help normalize the idea of guns in certain places they’re currently not allowed. That’ll be a huge benefit for a lot of people who regularly find themselves needing to go into such places but who would prefer not to have to disarm.

Over time, then maybe we can look at loosening the requirements for these permits until one day we can eliminate them entirely. But you have to start somewhere. We didn’t lose our rights overnight. We’re not getting them back overnight either.

So, we take what we can get, and I think the enhanced permits are a big step forward toward making that happen. As such, and as a Georgian, I fully support this measure and hope to see it pass. I’ll actually look forward to taking a training class in order to get a permit.

Never in a million years thought I’d say that, either.

BLUF:
NOTE: The science hasn’t changed. Not since yesterday, anyway. No, the politics have changed.

When Democrats finally say the same thing Republicans have been saying for months or years, it’s good. Even though it’s still bad when Republicans say it. The exact same message is good and bad at the same time, depending on which political party is delivering it

Yesterday’s ban-worthy “misinformation” becomes today’s conventional wisdom. And then they wonder why we don’t trust them.

Journos and other Democrats hope that by the time the November elections roll around, we’ll have forgotten what they’ve done to us. We’ll overlook how they mocked and ignored us for dissenting from their rhetoric. They think they can magnanimously agree with what we’ve been saying all along, without ever admitting they were wrong, and we’ll vote for them anyway.

Is It Already Too Late for Dems to Abandon COVID Theater?
HINT: Starts with a “y” and rhymes with “guess”

For almost two years now, we’ve had propaganda pounded into our heads every waking moment:

“Wear a mask. Yes, we know we told you at first that you shouldn’t wear a mask, but never mind all that. Get your shots, which will keep you from getting sick or spreading the virus, unless of course you still get sick and/or spread the virus. Look, forget about our assertions of absolute truth yesterday, and just focus on our directly contradictory assertions of absolute truth today. You will listen to us, and the more we flip-flop and pretend we haven’t, the more you will trust us. If you don’t, you’re a Nazi fascist insurrectionist who probably loves Trump, and we’ll get you fired and ruin your life.”

Believe it or not, this message has not worked. People are not convinced. And the more they’re scolded, the more they dig in their heels.

Now there are cracks in the façade. We’re hearing it from Democrat politicians across the country:

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Just in case you didn’t know what this violent leftist demoncrap wanna-be tyrant looked like. And if this is called ‘increasingly hostile‘, they haven’t seen ‘hostile‘ yet.

Democratic strategist James Carville said Democrats "whine too much" (Munoz for ICSS  Livepic)

James Carville: I want to punch ‘piece of s–t’ unvaccinated people in the face
‘I just want to punch you in the god—-ed face’

Demoncrap strategist James Carville cursed out unvaccinated individuals on his podcast last week, saying anyone without a vaccine was a “piece of s–t” and he wanted to punch them in the face.

On Thursday’s “Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt,” Carville and Hunt took a listener question wondering why President Biden would not pass a bill that bars unvaccinated citizens from interstate travel.

“I wouldn’t be against that at all. I’d be for it actually, as long as you put ‘or testing.’ Before you get on a plane or bus or interstate train, you want to be vaccinated or tested. I don’t think the Supreme Court would allow him to do that,” Hunt said.

“I don’t either,” Carville replied.

“I don’t think he should expend much capital trying to get something done that’s going to get knocked down,” Hunt said.

Carville continued by suggesting a law giving immunity to anyone for punching an unvaccinated person.

“I wish what they’d do is pass a law to make you immune from liability if you punch some unvaccinated person right in the face, which I’d really like to do. If you ask me what’s my first reaction to you if you’re not vaccinated, you don’t have any medical reason not to be, you’re a piece of s—, OK? I just want to punch you in the god—-ed face. That’s the way I look at these people,” Carville said.

“Agreed,” Hunt replied.

Media pundits and authorities have grown increasingly hostile against individuals who choose to remain unvaccinated for various reasons.

Quip O’ The Day

“Polling must be really bad for Ted Lieu, of all people, to call for the recognition of natural immunity and an end to restrictions.”–Ian Cheong

Lieu’s chart ends in October, even before Omicron hit.
He must be so desperate to end restrictions that he’ll post anything, and he’s just the moron to do it.

Again, they’re so accommodating to provide pictures for positive ID

CT gooobernor says you can’t be tough on crime “if you’re weak on guns”

Most of the time, anti-gun politicians couch their real agenda with language designed to make them appear moderate; for every Beto O’Rourke bellowing “Hell yes we’re coming for your AR-15” there are a dozen Democrats proclaiming “I support the Second Amendment, but we need a few more commonsense gun safety regulations.”

It’s not that they really are moderate on the issue, of course. They’re simply trying to package their unappetizing ideology in a way that’s palatable to more people.

Every now and then, though, you’ll run across someone who’s willing to give the public a peek at what they really think about the Second Amendment, and put their authoritarian impulses on display for all the world to see. On Monday, it was Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont who made his desire to go after legal gun owners clear.

“We have more damn guns in this state than ever before,” Lamont said with more than a dozen advocates and lawmakers in the Capitol’s historic Hall of the Flags. “We have more legal guns, we have more illegal guns. You’re not tough on crime if you’re weak on guns.”

Got that? According to Lamont, in order to get tough on crime you’ve got to crack down on guns; and he made it clear that he doesn’t really give a damn if they’re legally possessed or not.

In fact, one of Lamont’s proposals for this year is all about making it easier for police to stop and question those carrying a firearm, even if there’s no suspicion of criminal activity. For Lamont and his fellow Democrats, simply exercising your Second Amendment right to bear arms should be reason enough for law enforcement to suspect a crime.

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‘Mayoral Myth’ Exposed—Most States Have Preemption Laws

UPDATED, 2/7/22 @ 5:56 P.M. – Bruce Harrell, the recently-installed mayor of Seattle, tried to invent a myth when he told reporters—without challenge—that Washington is one of a handful of states with a firearms preemption statute, a claim that is demonstrably false.

“We have too many guns pouring into the cities, and into our country,” Harrell asserted at just over 31 minutes into a 41-minute press event last Friday. “And you will hear this year me lead efforts on trying to get relief from the exemption RCW 9.41.290. You’ll hear me talking about that. I don’t know how many lives have to be lost before we realize we’re one of the few states that has that kind of restriction allowing the state to govern the laws we need for our city of Seattle.”

Contrary to Harrell’s claim, there are at least 42 states with preemption laws, which place sole authority for regulating firearms in the hands of the state legislature.

Harrell was referring to Washington’s nearly-40-year-old preemption law, which was adopted in 1983, strengthened in 1985 and has become a model for similar laws in other states, something the Seattle Times failed to mention in its coverage.

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BLUF:
The lie is that mandatory training saves lives.
The truth is it costs lives.
Gun-control laws often disarm minorities, women, and the poor.
The lie is that mandatory firearms storage saves lives.
The truth is it costs lives.
The lie is that gun-laws disarm criminals.
The truth is that gun-control laws disarm law-abiding victims.
That tells me that one purpose of gun-control is to impose higher costs on gun owners rather than to save lives.
The lie is that guns cause violence.
The truth is that criminals cause violence and government officials have failed to control violent criminals.

Painful Lies and Boring Facts About Being Armed

I’m in a rut. I read the endless stream of gun-control proposals and I have the same reaction time after time. Gun-control advocates promise us safety in return for further restricting the ability of ordinary citizens to go armed. Those excuses would be laughable if they didn’t cost so many lives. It is easier for us to recognize the false-claims of gun-control if we have a sense of proportion and perspective. Then we can see it is a step backwards when we create a larger problem as we work to solve a smaller one. If we actually want to save lives then we have to see the big picture and do no harm.

Ordinary citizens defend themselves with a gun several thousand times a day. Our armed defense stops tens of thousands of robberies, assaults, and rapes. It saves thousands of lives a year. Many thousands. Despite that immense virtue, nothing is perfect. We are human so there are problems with armed defense.

Gun-control runs into problems precisely because armed defense saves so many lives. To change our laws and save a few more lives tomorrow, we can’t reduce the many lives we save each day. It is hard to pass a gun-control law that will do no harm. Let me give you an example to make that clear.

Each week I analyze how ordinary people defended themselves with a firearm. I advocate for instruction, training, and practice. I encourage people to plan for lethal and non-lethal defense. We talk about avoidance and de-escalation all the time. Sure, I want gun owners to be trained, but I have perspective.

Week after week we see criminals break into a home. Grandma grabs her gun and says she is armed. The robber runs away because grandma wasn’t the victim he expected. The great news is that eight-times-out-of-ten the bad guys runs away before we have to fire a shot. I don’t see where mandatory safety training could make this self-defense situation significantly safer or more effective. 8-out-of-10 times it is already good enough.

Proportions are crucial. Firearms accidents are rare but criminal attacks are common. Yes, I ask gun owners to take training, but I know that costs money, takes time, and demands energy. Disarming ordinary citizens until they take training means that more good people will be disarmed. Maybe mandatory training saved a few people from firearms accidents but we condemned more of them to be the unarmed victims of violent crime. The unarmed victims will have to surrender or go against a criminal attacker with their bare hands. Criminals plan their attacks to beat an unarmed victim. I don’t want that, and few of us do.

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