Due to the importance of this decision, I wanted to make sure there is nothing in my letter that paints our side in any sort of unfavorable light, and that it doesn't contain any untrue information. I would really appreciate feedback and suggestions before I send it off, first to the Sun, and secondly to other media outlets and our politicians. Thanks!
Current (final?) version:
I am writing this letter in response to your front page article "Maryland gun-carry law overturned". This is not a victory for "gun enthusiasts". It is a victory for all freedom-loving, law-abiding, normal, everyday, responsible citizens.
Maryland is one of only 9 states that restricts who can carry a handgun to a point of being a "May Issue" state. These are California, Alabama, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. Maryland is one of the 5 most restrictive states in the nation. Illinois doesn't issue permits at all. The other 40 states are "Shall Issue" states. They issue a permit to anyone who wants one, provided they meet the requirements to buy a handgun in the first place. Four of the "Shall Issue" states do not require permits to carry at all. They are "Constitutional Carry" states. If you can meet the requirements to buy a handgun, you can carry it, as the Constitution guarantees. Are law-abiding Maryland citizens different than law-abiding citizens in other states? Are they more violent? Less responsible? Ever travel to PA or VA, or any other state that borders Maryland? If you have, you have more than likely intermingled with men and women carrying concealed handguns. Handgun-carry permit holders are everywhere. There are millions of them across the country. You just wouldn't know it.
In my experience, anyone who is against guns or carrying guns, is against them purely for emotional reasons. Their family is against it. Their friends are against it. The TV told them "guns are bad", "guns are scary things". They essentially know nothing about guns, and have no personal experience with them, so they are scared of them and do not want one anywhere near them. In my experience, not a single one has a clue about guns or how they operate. They have never been shown a gun. They have certainly never been shown how to properly handle a gun. They definitely have never fired a gun. Most have only seen guns on TV. They see them in "news" pieces about someone being shot, which isn't news. It's propaganda aimed at perpetuating the fear. The fear that is instilled by political figures, lobbying groups such as the Brady Campaign, and media outlets opposed to the Second Amendment. These individuals and groups twist and blatantly manufacture "statistics" to support their irrational anti-gun arguments, and use their fortunes and their media access to brainwash the public against guns. They instill a fear of guns in people, a fear they themselves may have, to discourage gun ownership and possession. Others only aim to further some political agenda. And unfortunately it works. The truth is, guns are tools. Tools that depend on the person wielding them to have any effect whatsoever.
If you have no experience with guns, I urge you to find someone responsible who owns a gun, and ask them to show you how it works sometime. Every single gun owner I know would jump at the chance, and would love to show you. Better yet, take a basic handgun course. They are inexpensive, and not very time consuming. Then you will see, as millions of gun-carrying, law-abiding citizens already know, that guns are not bad. They are only dangerous if someone makes them dangerous. Responsibly handling a gun is not hard. It is mostly common sense, once you know how a gun operates.
So what about crime related to all these people nationwide who are carrying handguns in public, openly or concealed? Violent crime committed by permit holders nationwide is virtually non-existent. Handgun-related crime by permit holders accounts for the tiniest fraction of gun crime. This is a fact, which can be verified by anyone from the FBI's crime statistics. Yet, anti-gun groups and politicians claim there will "blood in the streets" if citizens are allowed to carry guns in public. What they conveniently omit is that people everywhere, all over the country, do carry guns in public. Every day. There are MILLIONS of permit holders nationwide, any of which could be carrying a handgun virtually anywhere at any time. And yet, there isn't any "blood in the streets" from these normal, safety-conscious people. Permit holders are law-abiding people. They aren't the ones committing the crimes so often exploited to demonize guns. Also, there are virtually never accidental discharges of a firearm by a permit holder. It just doesn't happen. If firearms were intrinsically unsafe and just "went off", it would be happening all over the world, to police and military personnel as well, not just private citizens! Men and women in almost every state across the country carry guns every day. They cause no harm whatsoever. In fact, quite the opposite.
The motivation for carrying a gun is simply self defense. If the unthinkable should happen, it gives the carrier an option other than being helpless and victimized. It allows the carrier to protect themselves and their family, should the need arise. The alternative is just hoping that you never find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police officers won't be there when you need them. They come later to document and investigate. Your own protection is up to you and you alone. When seconds count, the police are minutes away, or longer. In addition to actively being used for self defense, law-abiding citizens carrying handguns passively deter crime. No one ever has to know someone is carrying a gun for this to happen. The simple fact that the law allows anyone who meets the requirements to buy a handgun to carry that handgun in public is all it takes. It makes all but the most unstable criminals think twice. They are less bold, less ready to strike, because they know they may not have the upper hand. It is common sense. If you were going to target someone for a crime, would you prefer an armed target?
What about gun control then? Of course, those that push gun control will tell you, "gun control saves lives, it's for your safety". That is simply not true. Some actually believe it. But others know it is not the case, and say so only for politically motivated reasons. And others advocate gun control because they too have no experience with guns and fear them as a result, naively thinking they can just legislate them away. Gun control isn't about guns, it's about control. Whether it's control over irrational and illogical fear, or control of the population. Making the carrying of a handgun in public a crime only accomplishes one thing. It guarantees you that only criminals will be carrying guns in public! And they do. Every day. And "gun free safe havens" like Maryland are their playground, because they know for certain that they have the advantage. They are armed, you are not. Feel safe? Think gun control works? Think more gun control would work? Think you can legislate guns off the streets? Tell me, how is that approach working so far with drugs? It's been what, 30 or 40 years? Are drugs still widely available to anyone who wants them? You bet! Think guns are somehow different? They aren't. The overwhelming, vast majority of gun related crime is committed by people with illegally obtained handguns, even with the long list of laws governing the sale and transfer of handguns. And these people certainly do not have a permit to carry one.
Pick up the newspaper or watch the news any day of the week in Maryland, and the biased, politically motivated media shows report after report of innocent people being victimized by armed criminals. They'll help convince you it's because we need more gun control. What we really need is LESS gun control, and a justice system that isn't a revolving door for dangerous criminals! Ask someone who lived through the recent London riots, so conveniently glossed over in the media. England has a complete ban on handguns, and yet, responsible, hard working, everyday people were being victimized by armed criminals. Criminals armed with illegal handguns. Gun control is a political tool. It has the opposite effect of what political figures and groups and the media try so hard to convince you. It makes you less safe, not more. But, it helps politicians get re-elected, because they convince people of what the facts do not support.
Most states, more than forty, allow anyone who can legally purchase a handgun to carry it if they wish. Maryland might finally become one of them. Maryland is currently one of the 5 most restrictive states in the country in regards carrying a concealed handgun. Maryland also has some of the highest violent crime rates in the country. Which society do you think you are safer in? One where every law-abiding citizen with a clean record is potentially armed, or one like Maryland where you are guaranteed that only the evil-doers are armed? Would you rather be the master of your own fate and the fate of your family? Or is not being at the wrong place at the wrong time good enough for you? If it's good enough for you, do you have the right or the authority to tell others to roll over for the criminals too?
Current (final?) version:
I am writing this letter in response to your front page article "Maryland gun-carry law overturned". This is not a victory for "gun enthusiasts". It is a victory for all freedom-loving, law-abiding, normal, everyday, responsible citizens.
Maryland is one of only 9 states that restricts who can carry a handgun to a point of being a "May Issue" state. These are California, Alabama, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. Maryland is one of the 5 most restrictive states in the nation. Illinois doesn't issue permits at all. The other 40 states are "Shall Issue" states. They issue a permit to anyone who wants one, provided they meet the requirements to buy a handgun in the first place. Four of the "Shall Issue" states do not require permits to carry at all. They are "Constitutional Carry" states. If you can meet the requirements to buy a handgun, you can carry it, as the Constitution guarantees. Are law-abiding Maryland citizens different than law-abiding citizens in other states? Are they more violent? Less responsible? Ever travel to PA or VA, or any other state that borders Maryland? If you have, you have more than likely intermingled with men and women carrying concealed handguns. Handgun-carry permit holders are everywhere. There are millions of them across the country. You just wouldn't know it.
In my experience, anyone who is against guns or carrying guns, is against them purely for emotional reasons. Their family is against it. Their friends are against it. The TV told them "guns are bad", "guns are scary things". They essentially know nothing about guns, and have no personal experience with them, so they are scared of them and do not want one anywhere near them. In my experience, not a single one has a clue about guns or how they operate. They have never been shown a gun. They have certainly never been shown how to properly handle a gun. They definitely have never fired a gun. Most have only seen guns on TV. They see them in "news" pieces about someone being shot, which isn't news. It's propaganda aimed at perpetuating the fear. The fear that is instilled by political figures, lobbying groups such as the Brady Campaign, and media outlets opposed to the Second Amendment. These individuals and groups twist and blatantly manufacture "statistics" to support their irrational anti-gun arguments, and use their fortunes and their media access to brainwash the public against guns. They instill a fear of guns in people, a fear they themselves may have, to discourage gun ownership and possession. Others only aim to further some political agenda. And unfortunately it works. The truth is, guns are tools. Tools that depend on the person wielding them to have any effect whatsoever.
If you have no experience with guns, I urge you to find someone responsible who owns a gun, and ask them to show you how it works sometime. Every single gun owner I know would jump at the chance, and would love to show you. Better yet, take a basic handgun course. They are inexpensive, and not very time consuming. Then you will see, as millions of gun-carrying, law-abiding citizens already know, that guns are not bad. They are only dangerous if someone makes them dangerous. Responsibly handling a gun is not hard. It is mostly common sense, once you know how a gun operates.
So what about crime related to all these people nationwide who are carrying handguns in public, openly or concealed? Violent crime committed by permit holders nationwide is virtually non-existent. Handgun-related crime by permit holders accounts for the tiniest fraction of gun crime. This is a fact, which can be verified by anyone from the FBI's crime statistics. Yet, anti-gun groups and politicians claim there will "blood in the streets" if citizens are allowed to carry guns in public. What they conveniently omit is that people everywhere, all over the country, do carry guns in public. Every day. There are MILLIONS of permit holders nationwide, any of which could be carrying a handgun virtually anywhere at any time. And yet, there isn't any "blood in the streets" from these normal, safety-conscious people. Permit holders are law-abiding people. They aren't the ones committing the crimes so often exploited to demonize guns. Also, there are virtually never accidental discharges of a firearm by a permit holder. It just doesn't happen. If firearms were intrinsically unsafe and just "went off", it would be happening all over the world, to police and military personnel as well, not just private citizens! Men and women in almost every state across the country carry guns every day. They cause no harm whatsoever. In fact, quite the opposite.
The motivation for carrying a gun is simply self defense. If the unthinkable should happen, it gives the carrier an option other than being helpless and victimized. It allows the carrier to protect themselves and their family, should the need arise. The alternative is just hoping that you never find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police officers won't be there when you need them. They come later to document and investigate. Your own protection is up to you and you alone. When seconds count, the police are minutes away, or longer. In addition to actively being used for self defense, law-abiding citizens carrying handguns passively deter crime. No one ever has to know someone is carrying a gun for this to happen. The simple fact that the law allows anyone who meets the requirements to buy a handgun to carry that handgun in public is all it takes. It makes all but the most unstable criminals think twice. They are less bold, less ready to strike, because they know they may not have the upper hand. It is common sense. If you were going to target someone for a crime, would you prefer an armed target?
What about gun control then? Of course, those that push gun control will tell you, "gun control saves lives, it's for your safety". That is simply not true. Some actually believe it. But others know it is not the case, and say so only for politically motivated reasons. And others advocate gun control because they too have no experience with guns and fear them as a result, naively thinking they can just legislate them away. Gun control isn't about guns, it's about control. Whether it's control over irrational and illogical fear, or control of the population. Making the carrying of a handgun in public a crime only accomplishes one thing. It guarantees you that only criminals will be carrying guns in public! And they do. Every day. And "gun free safe havens" like Maryland are their playground, because they know for certain that they have the advantage. They are armed, you are not. Feel safe? Think gun control works? Think more gun control would work? Think you can legislate guns off the streets? Tell me, how is that approach working so far with drugs? It's been what, 30 or 40 years? Are drugs still widely available to anyone who wants them? You bet! Think guns are somehow different? They aren't. The overwhelming, vast majority of gun related crime is committed by people with illegally obtained handguns, even with the long list of laws governing the sale and transfer of handguns. And these people certainly do not have a permit to carry one.
Pick up the newspaper or watch the news any day of the week in Maryland, and the biased, politically motivated media shows report after report of innocent people being victimized by armed criminals. They'll help convince you it's because we need more gun control. What we really need is LESS gun control, and a justice system that isn't a revolving door for dangerous criminals! Ask someone who lived through the recent London riots, so conveniently glossed over in the media. England has a complete ban on handguns, and yet, responsible, hard working, everyday people were being victimized by armed criminals. Criminals armed with illegal handguns. Gun control is a political tool. It has the opposite effect of what political figures and groups and the media try so hard to convince you. It makes you less safe, not more. But, it helps politicians get re-elected, because they convince people of what the facts do not support.
Most states, more than forty, allow anyone who can legally purchase a handgun to carry it if they wish. Maryland might finally become one of them. Maryland is currently one of the 5 most restrictive states in the country in regards carrying a concealed handgun. Maryland also has some of the highest violent crime rates in the country. Which society do you think you are safer in? One where every law-abiding citizen with a clean record is potentially armed, or one like Maryland where you are guaranteed that only the evil-doers are armed? Would you rather be the master of your own fate and the fate of your family? Or is not being at the wrong place at the wrong time good enough for you? If it's good enough for you, do you have the right or the authority to tell others to roll over for the criminals too?
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