Be vigilant...

Americans today need to be more and more vigilant of the overreach by the federal government in our daily lives. The fed continues to seek out new ways to be intrusive and gain increasing levels control. One of the ways they seek control, possibly the most dangerous way, is through gun control. Whatever they choose to call it, be it "common sense gun safety legislation" or "gun violence prevention measures", it is not about safety or reducing violence. Gun violence has been steadily decreasing since 1984, according to FBI statistics. The real focus of these measures is gaining another degree of control over the American populace.

The gun control debate should be a very simple discussion, open and closed. However, the goal of the "anti-gunners" is to muddy the debate and make it as complex and confusing as possible. Looking at only a few things can show that when law abiding gun owners are empowered to maintain arms and defend themselves, the result is a positive one.

One thing to look at is violent crime rates in places where gun ownership is rare or non-existent. For instance, in Great Britain the violent crime rate is significantly higher than the violent crime rate in the US. The US in 2010 reported 403 violent crimes per 100,000 people. In Great Britain, the rate was over 2,000 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people. In Australia, an almost total ban on gun ownership has resulted in almost no change in violent crime or even firearm related crime.

Another thing to pay attention to is the violent crime rate in the so called "gun control Meccas" in the US. President Obama once stated that Chicago is a model for America on the gun control issue. Today, Chicago is among the most dangerous cities in America due to their high rate of firearm related crime, gang related crime and overall violent crime. Other cities with strict gun control coupled with high crime rates are Detroit, Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana, Washington D.C., Stockton, California and Los Angeles, California.

The issue of mass shootings needs to be touched on. Every time there is a mass shooting, the gun control advocates seize on it to push their agenda. Chicago governor Rahm Emanuel, one of America's biggest gun control advocates, spelled it out for us when he said "never let a crisis go to waste". These advocates ignore the fact that mass shootings actually occur less frequently than in past decades. They also ignore that when a mass shooting does occur, almost every single one occurs in a location where law abiding citizens are prohibited from legally carrying a firearm, the shooter rarely uses a so called "high powered, military style assault weapon" and the shooter rarely carries "high capacity magazine clips".

The last point I want to make on the issue of gun control, or "common sense gun violence prevention legislation" as the fed wants to call it, is that the people who are being demonized the most are not the ones who are committing the crimes. The ones who are committing the vast majority of firearm related crimes are criminal to begin with who are already supposed to be prohibited from possessing a gun. The fed already does not properly enforce laws we have on the books. Instead, they seek to enact new strict laws that will only affect people who are not committing crimes. NRA members are not robbing banks or conducting drive by shootings in Chicago. The nearly insignificant number of guns purchased without background checks at gun shows are not being used against police in Detroit. The Ruger 10/22 given to a boy by his dad for Christmas is not ending up in the hands of the Mexican drug cartels. Therefore, there is no reason to enact to laws that will infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding Americans.

Unless of course, the real goal isn't about reducing crime, but rather increasing the control the fed has over the American people...