When facts do not support your argument, emotional appeals work best for turning opinions in your favor. That is why anti-gunners are blaming firearms, rather than societal issues, for mass shootings and gun violence.
Terms like “weapons of war” and “assault rifles” sound really scary and suggest the potential for widespread carnage. Aside from someone who actually knows firearms, who wouldn’t oppose that? Might be why a 2019 study showed about 60 percent of those polled said they are fearful of being in a mass shooting.
With ignorance and scare tactics driving many people’s opinions of firearms these days, they should find solace in Maine’s 2015 Constitutional Carry law. That law enables Maine residents of legal age to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
Anti-gunners used the typical scare tactics to oppose the law while it was debated. They said public safety and children’s safety would suffer, and criminals would roam the streets armed to the teeth. None of that happened.
Instead, US News and World Report’s public safety rankings places Maine as the safest in the United States. Coming in second is Vermont, and New Hampshire in third. The fifth-safest is Idaho. Those states also have constitutional carry laws in effect. US News and World Report based on its findings on crime data, which affirm the common sense of constitutional carry laws.
Many other of the top-ranking states on US News and World Report’s safest states list have shall-issue CCW laws in place. About the only anomaly is New Jersey, which ranks as the fourth-safest state and does not have shall-issue concealed weapons permits or constitutional carry laws in effect.
New Jersey only has about 1,000 active CCW permits. That shows it is virtually impossible to legally carry concealed in New Jersey, which is what many would prefer at the national level.
Anti-gunners, on the eve of a potentially pivotal election, are pressing hard with the scare tactics. They prey upon the general ignorance of firearms among a growing number of those who have no real experience.
Anti-gunners portray gun owners as white supremacists. The San Francisco City Council recently voted to name the NRA a “domestic terrorism organization” to prevent anyone supporting or doing business with the NRA from doing business with city-run entities.
Constitutional carry shows that is not the case. Shall-issue CCW laws do, too. Many of the states deemed safest have shall-issue CCW laws in place, in addition to those with constitutional carry. About the only anomaly is New Jersey. States with high rates of gun ownership and that fully support law-abiding residents carrying openly or concealed without a permit are among the nation’s safest.
Evidence of the sanity of arming law-abiding citizens, rather than stripping them of their arms, would seem overwhelming. Were the subject “climate change” instead of constitutional carry, such reports would be used to affirm the safety of firearms. It also would affirm people who take the time to learn and use firearms are more likely to be the kind of people you want as your friends and neighbors.
Firearms promoting public safety, though, does not fit the political narrative anti-gunners are pushing. They single out the NRA as a “domestic terrorism organization,” when it simply is advocating for number two on the Bill of Rights. For Anti-gunners, the NRA epitomizes gun owners in general, and they don’t want anyone thinking nice things about gun owners.
Labeling gun owners as mentally deranged racists just moments away from committing a mass shooting is what anti-gunners want people thinking heading into the 2020 election cycle. They use equally scary tactics to make you think man royally has screwed up the climate, any strong storm is the worst ever to occur, and plastic straws are about to destroy the world. Emotional appeals make compliant lemmings of ignorant people.
Fortunately, reality, though, is far, far different, and constitutional carry affirms law-abiding gun owners are beneficial to society. They are your friends, neighbors, and respected members of local communities across the nation. Yet, exercising your constitutional right to bear arms has become a political divisive issue charged by raw emotion.
While mass shootings are occurring at an alarming rate, they mostly are not happening where the local population embraces the Second Amendment and firearms in general.
“Assault weapons — just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms — are a new topic. The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully-automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons — anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun — can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons.”
—Joshua Alan “Josh” Sugarmann, Executive Director and founder of the gun control group ‘Violence Policy Center’ (VPC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt gun control advocacy group
For years the pro gun side has been saying that “carrying” helps to keep criminals from committing crimes because they don’t know who can fight back with a gun. They are not stupid enough to want to get shot. This proves what we have been saying for a long time, and the anti’s know it to be true.
I am 85 years old and carry all the time.I live in West Virginia and we did at one time
have one of the most convoluted laws ever concerning concealed weapons that dated
back to the 1870’s.That law was declared unconstitutional in 1986 and a concealed
carry permit was easier to get.It cost $100 for 5 years.Someone raised an objection
to having to pay for a legal RIGHT and constitutional carry came in and now if we want
to carry openly or concealed we can.Free people known as CITIZENS can carry a gun
to defend themselves and others whereas others known as SUBJECTS can not.
I refuse to be anyone’s SUBJECT.
I dont understand the fear of machine guns, knives and pistols are a lot more lethal killing many more people especially 22’s . Legally owned machine guns are totally insignificant involving in crimes.
As Hitler often said, and always practiced, ” To conquer a nation first dis arm its citizens”.
Our Constitution guarantees our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If that requires me to carry a gun, I will! As far as what these ass hole politicians have to say, I DON’T CARE. The pols have security that we could only wish for. I’ll bet the residents of our major cities wish that they could also be well protected. Some of the parents in those cities would still have their children! These A-holes should check out The Great Northfield Raid, this shows how average citizens can protect themselves! The pols don’t want us armed so that they can run roughshod over us. They know that the American citizen will fight back against tyranny as we have done throughout oud entire history! Joe Biden is the worst pres. in the history of our country. With the history of the Taliban, Biden thinks that they can be trusted! He probably also believes that by switching hands while masturbating, you can gain a stroke!!!
Contrary to the antis it is logical San Fransico city government fits the definition of a terror organization. So does Southern Poverty Law Center since t it started naming legal organizations as hate groups not understanding that the act makes THEM a hate group.
Well the only thing I can say about these anti-gunners is they are probably those who lost their right to own a gun do to crime or jail time. So they can’t legally own a fire arm. You know what makes me sick of these idiots they know nothing about guns. First off they always call the sporting rifle the AR an assault rifle this is simply not true AR is the platform from the maker of the rifle it stands for armalite rifle company. Just do the research you will find this to be true. And the other thing that makes me mad they say stuff like machine gun we all know we can’t own machine guns. Let alone you can’t find them in any gun store. These people are very ignorant and need to stop lying about this see We The law abiding citizens have a right To own guns those who commit crimes have no rights in my eyes. That is all I have to say about this. GOD bless America
I agree with the gun owners of the United States that it is our right to own and carry a gun to protect our selves and others if the occasion should arise. I also believe that these anti-gun people are the same people who trying to disarm the people so they can be like Putin and control the people without fear of retaliation from the population because they are armed and can defend themselves from dictators like trump. Remember that I and many other people have said this, so I will say it again, people kill people not guns so I think that people should be banned not guns. And than when someone gets killed with a ford ranger let’s ban that vehicle from being sold or a screwdriver or maybe a pocketknife or better yet let’s ban a broken beer bottle because that is a weapon that anyone can find in a bar. Can all you anti-gun ass holes see hoe ridiculous all that sound. That is what you are trying to ban is the world good luck with that. Not if my rights have anything to say about it. I will always be armed and just try to take that from me and anyone else like me. Constitutional Carry for anyone in the 50 states, that is what it means to have the to bear arms and that shall not be infringed be any anti-gun assholes so help me god.
They must be having a sh-t fit with 1/2 of the country, 25 states, with constitutional carry and the murder rates going up in the cities and states with the most restrictions. How in BLUE BLAZES do they think the states would ratify getting rid of the second amendment. THREE -FOURTHS OF the states, 38, are necessary to ratify amendments. They should be reminded that the only way to alter an amendment is by an amendment.