Gun ban advocates speak out

After the United States Supreme Court struck down Chicago's handgun ban, public reaction was swift. In the July 3 Voice of the People (letters to the editor) column of the Chicago Tribune, a liberal Chicagoan opines, "[The Second Amendment] was a good law when our nation was formed, but society has changed in such a way that the keeping of arms now poses more danger to the average American than it does to democracy."

Really.

Thank you, professor, for making this proclamation for all of us. I think the Second Amendment keeps American safe, but who am I to argue?

He goes on.

"I believe in 2010, a national poll would support the revocation of the Second Amendment."

Hmm. Makes one wonder, doesn't he?

No need to worry, Mr. H. Rasmussen just took a national poll. Guess what? Not so many people agree with you!

This is yet another example of the presumptuous, elitist left-wing mindset. This guy lives in a nice lakefront neighborhood in Chicago. He can afford ADT home security. He wants the people hardest hit by gang violence and home invasions to remain defenseless in their homes.

Back to the Rasmussen poll. Eighty percent of gun owners support the right of Americans to keep guns in the home. That sounds a little low, but otherwise it's not surprising. Of Americans who do not own guns, 55 percent support the right of others to pack heat. So this poll contradicts this gun ban advocate's theory that America shares his views.

From Glen Ellyn, a nice, safe suburb deep in DuPage County, about 25 miles from Chicago: "The NRA and its Republican comrades can rest comfortably now that the conservatively packed Supreme Court has made it much easier for the purveyors of gun violence to make our society the armed camp they have long sought."

Great letter. Once again, another left-wing elitist believes it's the Supreme Court, the GOP and the NRA against all of America. The reality is that one-third of American homeowners celebrate their Second Amendment right by keeping guns in their homes. Does that constitute an armed camp? Too bad. That's America.

As a side note, Mayor Richard M. Daley raised the specter of the Wild West when he thought about losing this case in front of the Supreme Court. Statistically, Chicago is much more violent than the Wild West, with its handgun ban in place, even after adjusting for population.

The next letter is different because the author lives near Lawrence and Western Avenues in Chicago, which is a bit gritty and not so nice. Here is his second paragraph:

"If 30 shootings and three deaths occurred the weekend before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chicago's handgun ban by a 5-4 vote, imagine the numbers after access to handguns is unlimited."

I am imagining. And I imagine the homicide rate will drop.

Many homicides in Chicago are gang-related. These teenagers and young men--murderers and victims--already have guns. The end of the gun ban will have no effect on gang-related crime. It will, however, reduce robbery and home invasions, with a commensurate drop in murder in the course of a felony.

These three left-wing elitists have this surreal concept that law-abiding citizens, once armed, will run amok shooting each other. This idea just isn't supported by the facts. In 48 states, citizens can pack heat inside and outside the home. Yet Chicago, that gun-free city where concealed carry remains illegal, has a crime rate and murder rate among the highest in the country.