As I sit and write this article, I think back to a time in this country when as a nation, we all stood together with a simple understanding of what makes our nation great: the Constitution of the United States. Now, there are those who seek to erode this great document, either through misguided feelings or just another accessory to destroy this country one brick at a time. We live in a time where people’s understanding of how firearms play a role in our society is been inundated with strawman arguments or outdated or incomplete facts. Now is the time to arm ourselves with knowledge and statistics so we can arm children, and pass the baton of protecting this great country to the next generation.
With a suggested average of 43,000 deaths annually (CDC 2020 study) This pales in comparison to health-related deaths in this country like heart disease coming in a whopping 659,041 people dead in 2019. Or Just an act of God like a hurricane, tornado, fire, or flood killing upwards to 60,000 people a year on average.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that there were over 43,000 gun-related deaths in the United States in 2020, including homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. Even with what seems like an exaggeration of death numbers the fact still remains: A gun alone can’t pull its own trigger, someone has to.
Gun owners are just criminals who haven’t committed a crime yet?!
Lovers of the Constitution and the second amendment proudly argue that owning a gun is an important self-defense and the defense of their loved ones. Recent studies indicate that people who own guns are actually less likely to be victims of violence than those who don’t! According to research from the Crime Prevention Research Center, concealed carry permit holders are also more law-abiding than the general population. By its very nature, a firearm instills a sense of responsibility (for honest God fearing people). Caring for my Glock19 is a daily reminder of the sense of duty I have to not only God, but my county, my family, my community, and myself.
But having guns around just means more chances of a shooting?
Those patriots who stand by the Second Amendment proclaim that gun ownership allows individuals to protect their property and prevent crime. And even the mere presence of a firearm can deter criminals from committing crimes and evading justice! Knowing that a home, business, school, or government building is occupied by those tasked with keeping citizens safe (in both the public and private sectors) keeps evildoers and those who seek to destroy our great republic at bay.
But don’t states with high rates of gun ownership have higher rates of violent crime?
This could not be further from the truth! States which have HIGHER rates of gun ownership had LESS violent crime, according to research from the Crime Prevention Research Center. With “right-to-carry” laws now in effect, that rate drops even further in violent crimes happening.
Every time the left wants more accurate facts about guns, the more they realize that we are the ones with facts on our side, and they are the ones legislating in fear and emotion. Don’t forget why we stand for the flag, not only for those who have fallen to show our respect. But it is a reminder of our duty to uphold our end of the agreement of being in this great country, to protect it at any cost from any enemy foreign or domestic!
