Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
4.13.2018
The assertion by the left that “fewer guns mean fewer crimes” is simply not based on fact.
Violent crime may be on the increase in some areas of our country, but it certainly isn’t due to law-abiding citizens purchasing guns.
One would be inclined to believe that a rationally minded, intellectually honest individual would understand that when guns are taken away from law-abiding citizens, only criminals will have guns.
It’s interesting liberals are strict constructionists when interpreting the Constitution in matters of civil rights and social injustice in America but vehemently declare it to be antiquated in addressing the gun violence we face in our nation today.
I never cease to be amazed how political expediency impacts progressive reasoning.
Isn’t it a reasonable expectation for anyone sincere about defending their cause, such as politicians, anti-gun groups and members of the media, to be adequately educated in the matter? Frankly, the ignorance of some of the most vocal gun control advocates is astounding!
Perhaps if these individuals spent as much time researching the facts as they do rattling their emotional sabers, they could comprehend the truths of the issue and contribute to a real solution.
A routine error by many people is to refer to a semi-automatic carbine as an “assault rifle,” a fully automatic weapon designed for purely offensive purposes. Many carbines have shorter barrels than full-length rifles, making them cosmetically similar to a military rifle, but they certainly don’t function the same.
For example, how often do you hear liberals describe the AR-15 as an “assault rifle” and argue, “the average citizen has no need for one?” Well, it may surprise you to know many gun enthusiasts enjoy shooting their firearms for sport just like many of you enjoy golfing or fishing. I personally enjoy target practice at the range with my sons.
And here’s a little tidbit for the left. The letters “AR” don’t stand for “assault rifle” but “ArmaLite,” after the company that developed the weapon in the 1950s.
Nor does the “AR” stand for “automatic rifle,” as assumed by many inadequately informed pundits. This “evil” weapon, so often decried by the left, is a semi-automatic rifle, like most of the firearms sold in the U.S. This means it fires one round each time the trigger is pulled. AR-15-style rifles are no more powerful than other hunting rifles of the same caliber and in most cases are chambered in calibers less powerful than common big-game hunting cartridges per the National Shooting Sports Association.
Additionally, the term “assault weapon,” a gun control moniker often unwittingly brandished in the gun debate, is a name fabricated simply for influencing.
According to Bruce H. Kobayashi and Joseph E. Olson, writing in the Stanford Law and Policy Review, “Prior to 1989, the term ‘assault weapon’ did not exist in the lexicon of firearms. It is a political term, developed by anti-gun publicists to expand the category of ‘assault rifles’ to broadly cover everything from shotguns to standard-capacity handguns,” or anything they want to eliminate besides the real culprit – the shooter.
The misinformation progressives carelessly leverage in the debate ostensibly delegitimizes their anti-gun position. And if progressive methodology holds true, “baby steps” toward gun control will, no doubt, turn into “liberal leaps” in years to come, hence the NRA’s firm stance on the 2nd Amendment.
Law-abiding citizens have a right to protect themselves. Nearly every horrific mass shooting committed through the years has been done void of an opposing force – a properly trained individual, adequately armed and mentally prepared for such an attack.
When only criminals have guns, we’ll be at their mercy.
Patriots who believe in the 2nd Amendment simply aren’t going to allow that to happen – period.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
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