Defending the 2nd Amendment

[DynaBMan]

This may sound like I am trying to promote my blog, but I really don't mean it that way. I have written an article about the 2nd Amendment that has garnered quite a few comments by a couple of people who are basically saying we need more gun regulation. I have tried to defend our rights and my brother has jumped into the discussion as well. The only things these folks have been able to come up with will do nothing but restrict our 2nd Amendment rights and do nothing to prevent criminals from having guns.

One of the main arguments they are using is the so called gun show loophole. Despite me showing them stats and explaining that buyers at gun shows have to already go through background checks and the like, they are insistent that straw purchasers are frequenting gun shows to mass purchase guns and resell them to criminals for a nice profit.

If any of you have a fresh perspective on this, please feel free to jump into the discussion. I have a feeling I am spitting in the wind with it, but I am just stubborn enough that they are not going to get the last word in. Maybe that's childish of me, but I am tired of gun control advocates thinking they have to restrict our rights in order to prevent criminals from having access to guns. The link to the article is below, if you are interested.

Defending the 2nd Amendment

[Glenn E. Meyer]

We just had a large discussion of the loop hole which you make want to read:

The best arguments are summarized by our distinguished moderator:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...=332507&page=2 See post 37.

From the latest GunFacts 5.0 (pages 19 & 20 of the pdf):

Myth: Gun shows are supermarkets for criminals

Fact: Only 0.7% of convicts bought their firearms at gun shows. 39.2% obtained them from illegal street dealers.(86)
Fact: Less than 1% of “crime guns” were obtained at gun shows(87). This is a reduction from a 1997 study that found 1.7% - 2% of guns used in criminal offenses were purchased at gun shows.(88)
Fact: The FBI concluded in one study that no firearms acquired at gun shows were used to kill cops. “In contrast to media myth, none of the firearms in the study were obtained from gun shows.”(89)
Fact: Only 5% of metropolitan police departments believe gun shows are a problem.(90)
Fact: Only 3.5% of youthful offenders reported that they obtained their last handgun at a gun show.(91)
Fact: 93% of guns used in crimes are obtained illegally (i.e., not at gun stores or gun shows).(92)
Fact: At most, 14% of all firearms traced in investigations were purchased at gun shows.(93) But this includes all firearms that the police traced, regardless of if they were used in crimes or not, which overstates the acquisition rate.
Fact: Gun dealers are federally licensed. They are bound to stringent rules for sales that apply equally whether they are dealing from a storefront or a gun show.(94)
Fact: Most crime guns are either bought off the street from illegal sources (39.2%) or through family members or friends (39.6%).(95)

------- I would suggest folks check out the thread in question before we rehash the same arguments. It was a good discussion.