Slate magazine published a story yesterday entitled “The Myth of the Good Guy With a Gun”. In it, the authors insinuate that anyone intending to protect themselves and others with a firearm is simply wasting their time. That the statistical evidence proves that the more guns that exist, the more gun deaths there are. Except that they left off a few important glaring facts.
They quote statistics from a study by The Boston Children’s Hospital that find more gun-restrictive states have fewer gun fatalities than states with fewer gun restrictions. Yet they fail to mention the study’s own statement that says the following:
“Although multiple studies have examined the relationship between federal and state firearms laws and homicide and suicide rates, the overall association between firearm legislation and firearm mortality is uncertain and remains controversial.”
In short, they might as well have said, “We looked really hard to prove that the mere existence of guns caused the mortality rate to go up for us pesky humans, but we couldn’t find any.”
They also failed to mention that the FBI’s own records show that firearm related accidental deaths account for only 0.5 percent of all accidental deaths.
As far as crime goes, they also overlooked the fact that even while gun ownership in America went from 192 million in 1994 to over 310 million by 2009, firearm related murder and non-negligent homicide plummeted from 6.6 per 100,000 people to 3.2 per 100,000 people.
IT WAS CUT IN FREAKING HALF! How does Slate overlook that?!?!
Hey Slate, I have a couple of questions for you. If the good guy with a gun scenario is a myth, can you please explain how in less than 24 hours after you ran your article, a concealed carry holder stopped a robbery from happening in an Arby’s in Vernal, Utah? If good guys with guns are a myth, how did that happen? Was the robbery stopped by another robber that was ticked because he didn’t get there first?
What about the 36 year old man in Fargo, ND that was lured behind a building by someone he knew, then was beaten by 4 thugs - 2 of them women - and was in the process of being robbed when a concealed carry member showed up. He stopped the 4 and held them at gun point until the cops showed up. How can you seriously suggest that the good guy with a gun is a myth, when all around us, law abiding citizens are defending their freedoms and the freedoms of others with their legally owned and permitted weapons?
I myself have defended myself with a weapon. Those two very large, and very drunk rednecks would have beat me to death were it not for the threat of a firearm. I guess I am not a good guy? I am evil? Well I can tell you that I am also very alive no thanks to you.
So you go on back to misquoting and misrepresenting various studies. I will still defend you should I be called on to do so. That is, unless, you succeed in taking my guns away from me. Then you are on your own.
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