With the killing of 58 and the wounding of hundreds in Las Vegas last weekend, Americans are once again debating gun violence. Adding to the passion and the entrenched political and economic interests that make this conversation so intense are a number of myths — about how much violence there is, what causes it and how to prevent it. Here are Some Crime and Firearms Myths.
Some Crime and Firearms Myths
With the killing of 58 and the wounding of hundreds in Las Vegas last weekend, Americans are once again debating gun violence. Adding to the passion and the entrenched political and economic interests that make this conversation so intense are a number of myths — about how much violence there is, what causes it and how to prevent it. Here are Some Crime and Firearms Myths.
1. RACKING A PUMP SHOTGUN WILL FRIGHTEN AWAY A BURGLAR.
FALSE. There is no evidence of this. You are just saying, “Hey, I am over here i n the dark with an unloaded shotgun .” The burglar will know you have a loaded shot gun when nine .33 caliber pellets are headed towards him at 1,1 00 feet per second. Racking a shotgun in the dark for an amateur is difficult as there is a strong likelihood you will “short stroke” it. When you rack it, you are giving away your position and the burglar may open fire.
If you are going to use a shotgun for home defense, get trained and practice.
2. POINTING A RED OR GREEN DOT OF A LASER WILL SCARE AWAY A CRIMINAL.
FALSE. There have been no studies that prove this.
3. BULLETPROOF VESTS ARE “BULLETPROOF.”
FALSE. There is no vest made which claims to be bulletproof. They are bullet resistant and rated to different level s , such as II, IIa, III. They are not magic. They are hot, heavy and i f shot the wearer may break a rib but survive. Civilians in Alabama and most states can own and you should consider them for your safe room if your finances permit it. A good compromise is weight, comfort and protection is probably a vest rated IIa, which is rated for up to 9mm handguns.
4. “SILENCERS” OR “SUPPRESSORS” MAKE FIREARMS SILENT. IT’S THEN POSSIBLE TO KILL SOMEONE, EVEN OUTSIDE WITH A RIFLE OR PISTOL UNDETECTED.
FALSE. They just reduce the decibel level, usually by 15% to 20 %. They do not reduce the sound of a handgun firing to a level so that people nearby can’t hear it. An AR – 15 with a 16” barrel (there a lot of variables, humidity, height above sea level) would usually produce sound near the shooter of 160db. A suppressor would probably reduce that to the 120 db to 135 db range, which will still cause a hearing loss but is much more controllable .
5. AR – 15s , AK – 47 s AND SIMILAR FIREARMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR A MAJOR RISE IN CRIME.
FALSE. These semi – automatic rifles are only involved in 2% of crimes involving a firearm.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/sunday-review/the-assault-weapon-myth.html?_r=0
Firearms Myths
6. CRIMINALS OFTEN TAKE A GUN OWNER’S GUN AWAY FROM HIM/HER WHEN THE GUN OWNER TRIES TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.
FALSE. In a massive study by the Cato Institute ’s Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens page 14 , a criminal taking a gun away from a gun owner is as rare as a Clinton winning an election fairly. Only in 11 cases out of 4,699 did a criminal take a gun away from a defender. However, in 277 cases of the 4,699 the intended victim disarmed the criminal.
To read or download the free report:
7. DROPPED GUNS GO OFF
FALSE. IF IT WAS MADE AFTER 1968. The Gun Control Act of 1968 made drop – safety tests mandatory.
8. LARGE CALIBER HANDGUNS HAVE “KNOCKDOWN POWER ” THUS ARE BETTER.
FALSE. Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “ For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. ” If your .4 4 magnum would knock somebody down , it would knock you down when you fire d it. Just like a cannon lurches back when fired. A cannonball has knockdown power. Shot placement is always better than relying on a certain caliber. Train and carry a handgun that you are comfortable with so that you are safe, can draw if fast, and place multiple shots, center mass into an attacker.
9. HOLLOW POINT OR SELF – DEFENSE BULLETS WERE DESIGNED TO BE DEADLIER THAN FULL METAL JACKETS
FALSE. Hollow Points were designed so they would be less likely to penetrate the human body (overpenetration) and thus be a danger to innocent bystanders.
They may indeed make a large wound channel, but whether that means it is “ deadlier ” is debatable.
10. THE ‘GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE’ ALLOWS ANYONE TO GET GUNS
FALSE. The so – called “gun show loophole” is a myth . It does not exist. There is no loophole in federal law that specifically exempts gun show transactions from any other laws normally applied to gun sales. Not one.
If you purchase a firearm from a federal firearms licensee (FFL) regardless of the location of the purchase, a gun store, a gun show, or over t he internet. that FFL must confirm that you are legally allowed to purchase that gun. That means t he FFL must either run a background check on you via the NICS database, or confirm that you have passed a background check by examining your state – issued concealed carry permit. There are zero exceptions to this federal requirement.
If an individual purchase s a gun across state lines from an individual or FFL which resides in a different state than the buyer, the buyer must undergo a background check, and the sale must be processed by an FFL in the buyer’ s home state.
The “ myth ” that is spread is anyone who is not a FFL or “ in the business of selling firearms ” can legally sell a firearm to someone without running a NICS check. In fact, an individual cannot run a NICS check because you must be an FFL to do so.
If I happen to have several shot guns or pistols that I rarely uses and my next door neighbor says : “ If you ever want to sell any of y our pistols, I need another mid – sized semi – automatic, let me know? ” I can sell it to him without asking permission from the government. I would never sell anyone a firearm unless I gave them a bill of sale which includes the identification number on it. If it was someone I knew as well as a family member of close friend and knew they had never had any legal troubles, I would not require a copy of their CCW before I made the sale, but I would get and save a copy of some government I.D. just in case the firearm we re later used in a crime, to prove you sold it. If I didn’t know the buyer well or not at all, I would not sell them a firearm unless they had a CCW and allowed me to make a copy. Another distortion of gun sales at gun shows is that say I decide that I want to dispose of some or all of my personal fi rearms . I can rent a table at a gun show and sell my personal firearms, whether there be 4 or 40 , subject to my personal requirement above. I would also stick with what an FFL is required to do: Purchasers of handguns 21 years and over and Long guns and shotgun s 18 and over (check any particular laws in states other than Alabama ). Why would I do this when I could legally sell a handgun to a 19 – year – old for example. It just looks responsible. No w you can ’ t have a sales table selling firearms at every gun show, unless it ’s the same inventory you can t sell. Selling for others or buying firearms for resale would make you a dealer and be a violation of the law.
Those who want to change the law would require you, as a firearms owner, to give your firearms to your son, only by making a transfer through an FFL at a cost of $25 – $35 each. That’ s ridicules and does infringe upon our Liberty.
11. GUN – FREE ZONES PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
FALSE. There is plenty of evidence that “ Gun Free Zones ” actually attract criminals and gun violence because criminals know that their victims will be unarmed. Many mass shootings occur in gun – free zones. Why? Because the evil mind intent on wreaking havoc wants nothing more than the ability to do so without getting shot back. What better place to go than a gun – free zone?
The recent attack at the Mandalay Hotel was “ Gun Free Zone ” which even required the private security officer, who was shot 1 – 5 minutes before the mass shooting to be unarmed. Most mass shooters are cowards and when confronted by armed force kill themselves, just as Stephen Paddock did.
12 . CONCEALED CARRIERS DON’T PREVENT MASS SHOOTINGS
FALSE. CONCEALED CARRIERS PREVENT MASS SHOOTINGS FREQUENTLY THEY RARELY CAN BE COUNTED.
This is one of the biggest Crime and Firearms Myths. “Do armed civilians stop mass shooters?” the neo – Marxist magazine Mother Jones asked in 2012. “Actually, no.” Mother Jones justified its assertion by citing its own analysis that of the 62 mass shootings between 1982 and 2012, not one was stopped by a civilian with a gun. Shocking!
No, if the mass shooting were prevented by a CCW h older then it does not become, by definition, a mass shooting. It’s no coincidence that so many mass shootings happen in areas declared to be “gun – free zones” by authorities.
Instances of concealed carriers stopping shooters in their tracks are too numerous to count. Here are just a few examples found from a few seconds of Googling.
Chicago, April 20, 2015:
Authorities say no charges will be filed against an Uber driver who shot and wounded a gunman who opened fire on a crowd of people in Logan Square over the weekend. The driver had a concealed – carry permit and acted in the defense of himself and others, Assistant State’s Attorney Barry Quinn said in court Sunday. A group of people had been walking in front of the driver around 11:5 0 p.m. Friday in the 2900 block of North Milwaukee Avenue when Everardo Custodio, 22, began firing into the crowd, Quinn said. The driver pulled out a handgun and fired six shots at Custodio, hitting him several times, according to court records. Responding officers found Custodio lying on the ground, bleeding, Quinn said. No other injuries were reported.
Warren, Michigan , September 22, 2015:
A 63 – year – old autoworker with a concealed weapons license shot a gunman who was robbing a Warren, Michigan, bank, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
Concealed carriers can’t be expected to stop every shooting, just as police can’t be expected to prevent all crime. It is a fact, though, that concealed carriers regularly put an end to violent shootings.
Antioch, Tennessee , September 24, 2017 A 25 – year – old shooter, Emanuel Kidega Samson, killed one person in the parking lot, entered the church, and started shooting. A 22 – year – old usher, Robert Engle, tried to wrestle with the shooter, but Samson is a very large bodybuilder, and Engle realized that he was not strong enough to stop him. During the scuffle, Samson pistol wiped Engle causing him to bleed from his head. Samson also shot himself, causing very minor wounds to his chest and arm. Engle then ran to his car and got his permitted concealed handgun. The usher came back into the church and confronted the attacker, holding him there at gunpoint until police arrived. With one dead and seven wounded, the attack could have been much worse.
Lyman, South Carolina , June 30, 2016
A few weeks after the Orlando nightclub massacre, 32 – year – old Jody Ray Thompson, started shooting at others at another nightclub. Fortunately, unlike Florida, permitted concealed handguns were allowed in bars in South Carolina. Before he could shoot a fourth person, the permit holder was able to shoot back, wounding Thompson in the leg.
“His rounds struck 3 victims, and almost struck a fourth victim, who in self – defense, pulled his own weapon and fired, striking Thompson in the leg,” Lt. Kevin Bobo said. Bobo said the man who shot Thompson has a valid concealed weapons permit, cooperated with investigators, and won’t be facing any charges.
13. SHOTGUNS NEVER MISS
FALSE. There’s a common belief that you don’t really have to aim a shotgun.
When it comes to Crime and Firearms Myths, this is a dangerous one. Just point it in the general direction of the target, pull t h e trigger and it blows the bad guy away. In a home setting, few people have areas where they will take a shot of 30 feet. Using 30 feet with a 12 gauge . Depending on the brand of shotshell, the choke , etc. you will probably get a “ spread of 2 ” to 4 ” at 10 yards. That means with 00 Buck shot, the 9 , .33 caliber pellet s will b e located in an area which is from 2 ” to 4 ” across , the size of a fist. A Mossberg 500 12 gauge also has 8 to 14 time the felt recoil of a 9mm AR – 15, an M1 Carbine. O r a 9mm Beretta CX4 Storm carbine.
14. USING ROCK SALT IN A SHOTGUN IS A GOOD IDEA
FALSE. That is an idea that is close to insane. Various groups have done tests in which they have simply opened a standard 12 – gauge Buckshot shell , poured out the pellets then replaced them with “ Rock Salt. ” The Rock Salt weighs at least 1/20 the weight of lead. At 10 yards this mixture fired at a plane cardboard target produces not penetration and barely puts a few dents in the flimsy, thin cardboard.
So there you have it; Some Crime and Firearms Myths.
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