America, the land of the free; many generations have often used this statement to describe the United States and the all of the freedoms provided to its citizens. Freedoms that we largely have the benefit of due to the greatest document ever created, The Constitution of the United States.
Afforded to us by the 2nd amendment, one of the basic freedoms that we currently enjoy is the right to bear Arms. "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed".
In the post 9-11 period, how many of our civil liberties have been eroded in the name of national security? Are Americans completely willing to trade warrant-less phone taps, illegal searches and state sponsored torture for a little "homeland security"?
Answer the questions truthfully and then think about how unalienable our rights and freedoms actually are. I mention this because there is a growing contingent of people and government agencies that would like nothing more than to take away your right to bear Arms.
One of the tools that these organizations use to justify their desire to take away your guns is to publish statistics. Of course statistics that show a direct correlation between gun ownership and accidental shootings of children can be very powerful lobbying tool.
According to researchers in a study conducted by RAND-UCLA, over 35% of homes in America with school age children have at least one firearm. Over 60% report that those firearms are kept unlocked and about 10% keep them loaded with ammunition.
According the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the rate of firearm deaths among American children under age 15 is almost 12 times higher than in 25 other industrialized countries combined!
Between 1979 and 1997 there were over 30,000 accidental gun deaths in this Country and it is estimated that for every person killed by a handgun, four more are injured. This is equivalent to 36 accidental shootings and 9 deaths every day.
Since all of the findings indicate that accidental death by shooting is directly associated with gun availability, these are pretty strong statistics to help support the anti-gun lobbies stance.
We all know that children are intensely curious and most of them are fascinated by handguns. Sometimes even kids who have been raised around guns cannot resist the temptation of playing with a firearm or showing it off to friends.
The late George Bernard Shaw once said "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." He meant that Liberty and freedom come at a cost. That cost is responsibility.
If we want to keep our right to bear arms, then we must all become responsible gun owners. Lock up your handguns with trigger guards or one of the innovative new Biometric Fingerprint Safes so kids can't get to them. There are models to suite any application and most of them open within 1-second to allow quick access to your handgun when you need it.
If you don't have a secure gun storage safe, never keep a loaded gun and always store your ammunition separately from your guns. Do not let your child become a statistic.
No comments:
Post a Comment