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S.E. Wood Guns definitely serve
as a deterrent A "deterrent" is what you use to
convince others that if they do something to hurt you, you will
hurt them more. It can be as simplistic as a baseball bat, or
as breathtaking as a battleship. But it only works if others
know you have it, and are willing to use it. We hear much these days about the evils of
gun ownership. But we hear little about their value as a deterrent
toward discouraging those who would do you harm. Back in 1981, Morton Grove, IL, a Chicago
suburb, as a means of reducing crime in their city, passed a
city ordinance prohibiting the ownership of handguns. In an expression
of ridicule, more than anything else, the city of Kennesaw, GA,
then passed their own city ordinance requiring every homeowner
to keep a gun on the premises. Both laws were written so poorly that there
was really no enforcement at either location. Morton Grove Police
Chief, George Incledon, said only about 10 people, out of a population
of 25,000, actually turned in their firearms. The Georgia law
excluded convicted felons, those "who suffer a physical
disability," and "those who conscientiously oppose
firearms as a result of religious doctrine or belief." No
one was ever cited for owning or not owning a firearm. But it
was the perception that made the difference in each case. But in Kennesaw, GA, the results were astonishingly
successful. The crime rate plummeted! Burglaries dropped from
54 in 1981 to 36 in 1999, while the population increased from
5,242 to over 19,000. A drop from roughly 10 burglaries per 1,000
residents to two per 1,000 - a drop of 80 percent per capita!
Kennesaw's Crime Statistics Report said, "Violent crime
has become almost nonexistent in residential neighborhoods."
Kennesaw Detective Cpl. Craig Grayson, a 16-year veteran of the
force, said he has heard no open opposition to the gun law, even
though most of Kennesaw's newcomers are from northern states
where such a provision would be considered an expression of right-wing
extremism. So whether you support the Second Amendment
right to gun ownership, or oppose it for whatever reason, gun
ownership's crime deterrent factor is for real! UPI, who released the study, contacted the Washington office of Handgun Control, a leading gun control advocacy group, and asked for their comment on the Kennesaw crime statistic. They declined comment. |