When Pat Guan wrote an article about concealed carry in 2003, he got an earful from a passionate Second Amendment supporter. Fast forward 6 years later, and Pat has come to a conclusion we all here know
Well, Missouri went ahead with it and as far as I can tell not one of us from Illinois has been shot, justifiably or not, by one of those pistol-packers. Hardly any Missourians have been shot by them either, reconfirming the experience elsewhere that concealed carry seems to be neither a major solution for crime nor a big problem for the law-abiding.
I'm glad to see he realizes what we have been saying all along. However, he still holds on to a list of misconceptions
By the time you realize that deadly force is appropriate, the bad guy very likely has an advantage over you. Remember that virtually every police officer slain on the job was armed and trained in self defense
You can't protect against a sucker punch, period, but the officer thing is a straw man. You'd be hard pressed to provide any sort of documentation that the vast majority of officers slain were taken by a surprise shot.
I've said it before, I'll repeat it here. Law abiding citizens carrying weaponry has a negligible effect on crime overall – People who are so stupid they have to resort to mugging aren't bright enough to make the connection. What an armed citizenry does is change the outcome of an incident. The reason hardly any Missourian thugs have been shot is because just the flashing of a gun is usually enough to make them run away.
If you'd like a few hundred thousand examples of how self defense actually works, try the Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog
The more you handle your gun, the more likely a child will get hold of it.
While technically correct, this is a fear mongering phrase. Just like a child has more of a chance of drowning if you own a pool, owning a firearm does increase the chances of a child harming themselves with it. However, the CDC clearly shows that firearms are only more dangerous to children than Poisoning by Inhalation and All Other.
Misuse of a gun, accidentally or deliberately, might cost you your liberty, your home and your bank account.
That's a no-shitter right there. Then again, misuse of your fists, car, feet, baseball bat, kitchen cutlery, genitalia, and even your vocal cords can result in the same costs to liberty. So singling out a gun in this manner is disingenuous at best.
Carrying a gun may make you cocky enough to fight when you ought to run
No, carrying a gun will allow you to stand your ground and not concede your freedom to the thugs that roam the street. While running away like brave Sir Robin sounds noble, it's also not usually effective. Unless you're faster than your attacker and can run longer distances.
Most of the gunnies I talk to agree – the best way to survive a gun fight is to not get in one. But in a situation that calls for lethal force, it's best to be able to give than receive.
Pat continues to just almost see the truth, but keeps hiding behind misconceptions and his last sentence shows he still needs a little more education
But you could just as easily argue that the nation's most tense economic crisis in modern memory is probably not a politically wise time to be putting more guns on the street.
Who's putting guns on the street? I drive 45 miles to work every morning and all I see are potholes and road kill, never a Kimber or Ruger. The phrase 'guns on the street' is a fear tactic that makes it sound like the minute you purchase a gun, it's readily available for every thug that walks by (well, when you publish the names and addresses of CCW holders, that's closer to the truth).
I would say that in tough economic times, more guns in the hands of the law abiding is exactly what is called for – See New Orleans, Katrina or Los Angeles, circa Rodney King. When all hell breaks loose, the police are useless and it's up to each man and woman to defend themselves.
Pat, I offer you the exact same deal – If you're ever in the Tampa Bay area, let me know and I will gladly pay for your range time. Heck, if you're interested, you can call me and we can talk about anything you'd like to know on the subject. The more informed you are, the better you will be able to understand our point. Heck, you've already realized we were right on the fallacy of Blood in the Streets™
Call me. Really!