Guns Save Lives!!

[Patriot Heart]

How often do Americans use guns for defensive purposes
Larry Elder (archive (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/archive.shtml))




September 1, 2005 | http://www.townhall.com/images/icon_print.gif Print (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/printle20050901.shtml) | http://www.townhall.com/images/icon_email.gif Recommend to a friend (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/le20050901.shtml#)

http://www.townhall.com/graphics1/columnists/elder.gif Forty-six-year-old Joyce Cordoba stood behind the deli counter while working at a Wal-Mart in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Suddenly, her ex-husband -- against whom Ms. Cordoba had a restraining order -- showed up, jumped over the deli counter, and began stabbing Ms. Cordoba. Due Moore, a 72-year-old Wal-Mart customer, witnessed the violent attack. Moore, legally permitted to carry a concealed weapon, pulled out his gun, and shot and killed the ex-husband. Ms. Cordoba survived the brutal attack and is recovering from her wounds.

This raises a question. How often do Americans use guns for defensive purposes? We know that in 2003, 12,548 people died through non-suicide gun violence, including homicides, accidents and cases of undetermined intent.

UCLA professor emeritus James Q. Wilson, a respected expert on crime, police practices and guns, says, "We know from Census Bureau surveys that something beyond a hundred thousand uses of guns for self-defense occur every year. We know from smaller surveys of a commercial nature that the number may be as high as two-and-a-half or three million. We don't know what the right number is, but whatever the right number is, it's not a trivial number."
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/le20050901.shtml

[DoctorDoom]

It's well known that defensive use of firearms grossly outnumbers crimes with them. Doubtless the studies focused on actual discharge of the arms for defensive purposes, but often does the mere sight of a firearm in the hands of a would be victim dissuade the ne'er-do-wells from carrying out their crimes?

Scenario: you've broken into a home, intent on relieving it of assorted valuables, and suddenly you're looking down the barrel of 12-gauge Mossberg wielded by a wild-eyed homeowner screaming, "GET THE F**K OUT OF MY HOME!" Will it be necessary for the person to fire the weapon in order to convince you to hie your punk ass out of the nearest door or window so fast that your shadow is left behind?

Defensive use of firearms typically does not involve actual shooting. Being on the business end of a gun barrel is ordinarily ample incentive for a change of mind.

[Eagle1]

Elder has a movie coming out about exactly that

[Beowulf]

If it was a Liberal, they would have stood over the husband who was stabbing his ex repeatedly and kept on saying, "Stop it! STOP IT!"

When the attempts failed and the woman lay dead on the floor, they would have then taken pity, "It's OK. I know you came from a bad upbringing and that your marriage failed. You'll get the help you need."

GOD I HATE LIBERALS!!

I'm glad the scumbag got what he deserved!

[Eagle1]

Due Moore did all of america a great service, got a scumbag off the streets, and bypassed the justice system that would have had us paying for the bastards stay in the government hilton our prisons have become

[nene]

Due Moore acted when it counted. Good for him......and Mrs Cordoba.

[The_RANDy_Corporation]

Check this out: GunsSaveLife.com (http://www.gunssavelife.com/)

[Lazarus]

...Scenario: you've broken into a home, intent on relieving it of assorted valuables, and suddenly you're looking down the barrel of 12-gauge Mossberg wielded by a wild-eyed homeowner screaming, "GET THE F**K OUT OF MY HOME!" Will it be necessary for the person to fire the weapon in order to convince you to hie your punk ass out of the nearest door or window so fast that your shadow is left behind?...That's an interesting scenario, Doc... One for which we will never know the answer if it is acted out in the Lazarus home... For the phrase "GET THE F**K OUT OF MY HOME!" will never be heard - It will however be clearly and crisply replaced by the more rudamentary sound of "BOOM...(rack) BOOM...(rack) BOOM...(rack)"..........

Probably closely followed by the voice of Mrs Lazarus saying, "Awwww, you hit the TV too... Who's gonna clean up this mess?...":rolleyes: :grin:

[Kathy29]

When my door was being kicked in at 4:30 in the morning, one glance at my handy .357 caused the would-be-door-breaker to run and hide.

[Maestro]

...not to mention the tens of millions of unarmed people who were murdered by their own government in the 20th century. Untold millions more unarmed people in Africa and Asia continue to be murdered by their own government. Without the second amendment the other nine aren't worth the paper they are written on.

[Maestro]

I like your Einstine Quote. One of my favorite Einstein quotes is "God does not roll dice".

[TheIrishman]

Two newspaper accounts I recall.

one was- the door of a man 90 years old and wheelchair bound was being kicked in for the third time in just a few months. When the door crashed to the floor and the man stepped into the apartment the elderly man raised a pistol, fired and killed him.

Second was a few years ago. A man robbed a gas station and the clerk gave him all the money as told to do by the robber. The robber still took a shot at the clerk. The clerk ducked below the counter and came up with his own weapon and put 9 slugs into the robber. Followed him out the door to finish it.

So, guns can come in handy on occasion. They can be life-saving---your life.

John Lott always estimated the defensive use of weapons as occuring over 2 millions times a year!

A man I worked with always said that guns should be outlawed. I said if you REALLY believe that, put a sign in your window that says so and that you don't have weapons in the house.

HELL NO! he says. I'd be robbed that night!

[DoctorDoom]

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v349/DocDoom777/s_doors.jpg" />

[TheIrishman]

And as the quaker, with shotgun, said to the intruder in the middle of the night:

Friend, I would not harm thee for all the world but thee standeth where I am about to shoot!

[Riverboat]

When the door crashed to the floor and the man stepped into the apartment the elderly man raised a pistol, fired and killed him. . . The clerk ducked below the counter and came up with his own weapon and put 9 slugs into the robber. Followed him out the door to finish it. Snf! I love a story with a happy ending.

[Lazarus]

...not to mention the tens of millions of unarmed people who were murdered by their own government in the 20th century. Untold millions more unarmed people in Africa and Asia continue to be murdered by their own government. Without the second amendment the other nine aren't worth the paper they are written on.I know most of our stories involve defense against the criminals, but Maestro has the solid truth of it - the most important reason for civilians keeping firearms is the reason mentioned above...

This is the reason our founding fathers WISELY inserted the 2nd Amendment... They had just fought a war against an oppressive dictator for their hard-won liberty... Its almost like, after writing the 1st amendment, they looked at each other and said, "Talk is cheap - how are we gonna really guarantee these rights?"

[Timberwolf]

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Maestro
...not to mention the tens of millions of unarmed people who were murdered by their own government in the 20th century. Untold millions more unarmed people in Africa and Asia continue to be murdered by their own government. Without the second amendment the other nine aren't worth the paper they are written on.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>I know most of our stories involve defense against the criminals, but Maestro has the solid truth of it - the most important reason for civilians keeping firearms is the reason mentioned above...

This is the reason our founding fathers WISELY inserted the 2nd Amendment... They had just fought a war against an oppressive dictator for their hard-won liberty... Its almost like, after writing the 1st amendment, they looked at each other and said, "Talk is cheap - how are we gonna really guarantee these rights?"
This is the most glaringly obvious thing that liberals miss...or ignore. If ya can't back up the words with force (when and if necessary), they are worth nothing.

[Aric2000]

Guns sve lives!!

Can you say DUH?!!!

My mother has a liberal freind, and they were discussing the BS going on in NO, looting, rapes, murders, etc, and my mom was talling her that if there was ever a BIG emergency, that she should come to her house, with whatever food her car would hold, and whatever ammo she had.

The woman practically freaked...

AMMO? I don't have any guns...

I laughed in her face, why not? She said that guns are dangerous, etc, etc, ad nauseum.....

I asked her, "what is so dangerous about them?"

They kill people....

I just about died....

Anyway, my mother, her friend, and myself, had a LONG talk, and next week I am taking her to the range to learn how to use a gun.