Experience invariably trumps Theory

Democratic Lawmakers Urge Obama to Veto Gun Measure - Readers' Comments - NYTimes.com

Readers' Comments - NYTimes.com
48.
Terry Seale
Tennessee, ex-New Yorker
November 16th, 2011
11:24 am

1. After driving in NY, Washington DC, and Chicago, I realize why so many people in these places are against concealed carry and handgun ownership. They are so angry and frustrated with their living conditions that they know to their core that, were they to carry a gun, they would be a murderer several times over. They are not afraid of guns. They are afraid of themselves with a gun.

2. I have an autographed copy here of John Lott's book "More Guns Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws", 3d ed., University of Chicago Press, 2010. Using official government data sets, Lott proves that counties with higher gun populations suffer less crime than those with less.

Milton Friedman said, "Lott has done us all a service by his thorough, thoughtful, scholarly approach to a highly controversial issue." A researcher at Yale Law School, Lott has finally discredited the myths of anti-gunners. It is now well-settled and foolish to deny.

3. The Minutemen, the 1812 regiments, and the Civil War warriors all provided their own weapons when they became active duty militia. That's why they needed arms--Readiness. It's Redcoat General Gage that banned them. Sgt. York proved the point.

4. A driving license is a privilege granted by the police. Arms bearing is an inalienable Right granted by Divine Providence which, first the British King was obliged to recognize and protect, and then which our Constitution regarded as the most precious natural Right, second only to Free Speech. The police have nothing to do with that Right, except that their interference with it is forbidden as it is with Free Speech. Nothing needs to be proved, explained, or answered for that Right to obtain. "Don't Tread On Me." Remember?

5. The prosecution and persecution of Bernard Goetz caused many thousands to move out of New York. His civil rights were railroaded (no pun intended). But no matter how they hurt him, he came out a lot better than Kitty Genovese.