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There is a lot of misinformation out there about gun control, gun rights, self defense, “assault weapons,” and the like. This article is intended to briefly set the record straight: Read the rest of this article »

Sound suppressors, sometimes referred to as “silencers,” are legitimate tools that have gotten a bad reputation in movies and in the law. The fact is that sound suppressors don’t truly “silence” guns, but can serve a legitimate and peaceful purpose. Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

Member of the gun control lobby will argue that taking away guns from law abiding citizens will somehow stop criminals from using guns to commit crimes. This is simply untrue, and I’ve addressed the facts that criminals ignore gun control laws, which only serve to leave law abiding citizens defenseless. I’ve also addressed the fact that criminals will commit crimes, with or without guns.
Gun control laws could, however, result in more criminals with machine guns. Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

While discussing the issue of gun rights, I’ve had some friends suggest that only the police should have firearms. My considered opinion is that there is no fundamental difference between a police officer and a law abiding citizen, insofar as the ability to act responsibly with a firearm is concerned. Nor do I believe that police possess training or skills that a law abiding citizen can’t easily acquire, at least in a way sufficient to allow that citizen to defend themselves and their family. Allow me to elaborate: Read the rest of this article »

Rather than focus on the problem of crime, many gun control advocates cling to the abject failure that is gun control. This trend continues in the wake of the D.C. v. Heller case, where the Supreme Court found gun ownership to be an individual right. Rather than abandon the failed gun control laws that only serve to deprive law abiding citizens of the ability to defend themselves, some cities with handgun bans will now spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in a likely pointless effort to keep their unconstitutional handgun bans. Just imagine if that money were spent on “criminal control” instead of pointless gun control: Read the rest of this article »

Rather than deterring criminals, who will manage to have a gun in violation of the law, handgun bans will result in the unjust prosecution citizens who are defending themselves against criminals.   Such an outcome is plainly contrary to the (misguided) intent of such bans, which is to protect law abiding citizens from criminals.  A couple of example from the state of Illinois help illustrate the point: Read the rest of this article »

Some anti-gun-rights groups will try to argue that gun ownership somehow causes increased suicide rates. This is similar to the equally incorrect assertion that the presence of guns leads to crime. The fact is, those who are serious about committing suicide will do so, and many of them choose guns for a variety of practical reasons. Allow me to elaborate: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve seen increasing talk about the “benefits” of making gun manufacturers liable for criminals that misuse their guns, and thought it would be a good topic for an article

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The Wednesday Journal, Oak Park’s local newspaper, ran an article discussing the history of Oak Park’s handgun ban. The facts: Oak Park’s handgun ban was the knee jerk reaction to a murder that was committed not in Oak Park, but Chicago. Two decades later, criminals in Oak Park commit shootings, robberies, and pistol whipping, while only Oak Park’s law abiding citizens obey the ban and are left vulnerable. Read the rest of this article »

The NRA has an excellent article on the racist origins of the terms “saturday night specials” and “junk guns,” and gun control as a whole. In short, these terms were used to describe guns the racist law makers saw as being used by African Americans to commit crimes on Saturday nights, after drinking. Read the rest of this article »

Purchasing a gun now is a prudent choice, given the fact that when you actually need the gun, it will be too late to buy it. I am not speaking of the world ending or other unlikely events (no, I don’t believe society will collapse any time soon) but rather about events that can and do happen, when it helps to have a gun: Read the rest of this article »

To those whose lives have been hurt by a criminal’s use of a gun, Read the rest of this article »

As the Sun Times reports, Jessie Jackson called the Supreme Court’s ruling that gun ownership is an individual right “a ‘reckless interpretation of the Second Amendment’ — and one that Chicago doesn’t have to accept.”
Jessie Jackson’s statement, aside from being untrue, endangers the very civil rights that he has supported.  As an African American, a law student, and an American citizen, I am thoroughly disappointed.  Allow me to elaborate: Read the rest of this article »

It seems that many gun control advocates have mistaken ideas about the criminals who use guns. Allow me to set the record straight: Read the rest of this article »

Unfortunately, some of the most ardent supporters of rights such as abortion, free speech, and other civil rights are also some of the same people who try to take away the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. To those people I would say that trying to take away gun rights will result in the loss of our other civil rights, such as abortion, free speech, etc. This is part 3 of the 3 part series. Read the rest of this article »

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin issued a statement that argued cities should be able to ban guns, and that denying cities that ability would result in increased crime. This statement, aside from being inaccurate, fails to take into account that gun ownership is a right, and the rights of law abiding citizens cannot be denied just because it is politically expedient to do so. Allow me to explain further: Read the rest of this article »

Unfortunately, some of the most ardent supporters of rights such as abortion, free speech, and other civil rights are also some of the same people who try to take away the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. To those people I would say that trying to take away gun rights will result in the loss of our other civil rights, such as abortion, free speech, etc. This is part 2 of the 3 part series. Read the rest of this article »

Unfortunately, some of the most ardent supporters of rights such as abortion, free speech, and other civil rights are also some of the same people who try to take away the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. To those people I would say that trying to take away gun rights will result in the loss of our other civil rights, such as abortion, free speech, etc. This is part 1 of the 3 part series. Read the rest of this article »

With more and more Americans supporting the view that gun ownership is an individual right protected by the Second Amendment, gun control groups such as the Brady Campaign are losing ground.  This is giving rise to a new tactic Read the rest of this article »

I have noticed that some people, mainly who don’t own guns, equate gun ownership with violence. Nothing could be further from the truth: Read the rest of this article »

Often times in the wake of a particularly horrific shooting, politicians and even ordinary citizens feel compelled to “do something.” Gun control advocates seize on this urge to act, since it is human nature to want to take action in the wake of a tragedy. This tends to lead to wasted effort or actions that actually make the situation worse. Sometimes the best course of action is no action, or at least action after considerable thought is given to the issue: Read the rest of this article »

Many gun control advocates argue that we need handgun bans in order to prevent crime. Empirical evidence collected from cities that have handgun bans (such as Chicago and D.C.) flatly disprove that idea. It appears that a hand ban, rather than a handgun ban, might better prevent crime. Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

I recently received an email from a gentleman named Jon, regarding my use of terms such as “assault weapons” and “gun control” on this site.  Jon stated that he believed I should use terms such as “politically incorrect guns” instead of “assault weapons,” and to similarly frame the “gun control” issue in a more pro-guns manner.  I wholeheartedly agree with Jon’s statement when it comes to discussing gun rights in person or on TV, but the internet is a different story: Read the rest of this article »

Some friends and family members have asked me why I have a gun. After having answered this question several times, I decided to write an article that I can point people to in the future: Read the rest of this article »

Throughout this site I have pointed out the many problems with gun control. Those problems include the fact that criminals don’t obey laws (including gun control laws), and that failure to obey laws is what makes them criminals. Given the number of people still reaching this site after searching for “reasons to support gun control”, I thought I would further explain why gun control laws won’t prevent crime any better than the laws against murder and other crimes. Read the rest of this article »

Self defense is the most basic right that we humans have. It is a necessary foundation upon which all of our other rights are based. Given the fact the criminals who seek to harm law abiding citizens and their families are often armed, gun rights are an essential part of the right to defend oneself and one’s family these days. Read the rest of this article »

Several of the people I’ve worked with and known socially over the last year have stated that they are either opposed to gun rights, and/or don’t personally wish to exercise their right to keep and bear arms.  While they certainly have a right to choose not to own a gun, I am of the opinion that this is a bad choice for them, and a bad choice for our society.  Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

In cities such as Chicago and London, which already have strict gun control laws, there have been “gun violence” protests organized by anti gun groups.  These usually take place after a criminal violates the gun ban laws and commits a crime.  Unlike protests designed to focus the attention of political leaders on a governmental policy (such as involvement in wars or civil rights), these protests seem to be without purpose.  Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

“Zero Tolerance” policies are becoming more and more popular in our nation’s schools, workplaces, and other venues, especially as far as guns and other weapons related items are concerned. The problem is that these policies lead to unjust results and defy common sense. Zero tolerance policies run contrary to the ideas of justice that we as a civilization have been developing for centuries, and should be abandoned. Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

Despite a ban on handguns and draconian restrictions on long guns, the District of Columbia (”Washington D.C.”) has a serious problem with criminals using guns. Between March and April alone, this city of about 500,000 people has had over 330 reports of gun related crimes. As VOA reports, it is not unusual for D.C. residents Read the rest of this article »

Gun Ownership Helps Protect Everyone - even those who don’t own a gun themselves, as explained below: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve noticed that a fair number of people who visit this website search on Google for “reasons to support gun control”, despite the pro-gun-rights nature of this website. I’ve decided to write this article listing reasons to support gun control, for those visitors. Read the rest of this article »

I have noticed that there is insidious anti-gun indoctrination experienced by many people, and that it happens from an early age.  I believe this to be a serious problem, not just for the future of the 2nd Amendment, but for society’s ability to solve its social problems, such as violence.  I’ve seen this anti gun indoctrination from first and experience, through the attitudes of many otherwise reasonable people, and from the news.  Allow me to elaborate: Read the rest of this article »

Joining the NRA is a great way to help protect our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms. Normally, a 1 year membership is $35, but you can join here for $25 - That is a $10 discount. Read the rest of this article »

Gun control laws, especially the bans on so called “assault weapons“, tend to be highly technical in nature.  Such laws include arbitrary limitations on the length of barrels, the number of round a magazine can store, cosmetic features of the gun, etc.  This leaves the average law abiding citizen unaware that they might be violating the law, until they are  arrested.  Worse yet, some laws are rather vague, leaving even the most diligent and well educated citizen unable to determine if they are in violation.  Given the severe penalties in place for having a handgun magazine that holds one round to many, or a rifle barrel that is a half an inch too short, these laws are some of the most unjust currently on the books.  Below are some examples: Read the rest of this article »

Personal responsibility seems to be something that our society is lacking these days, especially insofar as guns are concerned.  Rather than blaming negligent adults who didn’t store their gun in a safe and responsible manner when a small child shoots his or her self, we blame guns.  Rather than blaming the adults who did not follow the basics of gun safety and unintentionally shoot themselves, guns are the scapegoat.  Instead of blaming criminals, we pass gun control laws that the criminals will just ignore, just as they ignore the laws against robbery, murder, and rape.  This is ineffective, leads to wrongful violations of the rights of law abiding citizens, and teaches our children the wrong message.  Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

I have previously discussed how the bans on so called “assault weapons” only ban cosmetic and safety features of guns that are not true military style guns anyway, while not reducing crime or even being rationally related to crime.  Now I’ll address the fact that criminals simply don’t tend to use these so called “assault weapons”, which makes banning them even more pointless. Read the rest of this article »

Chicago Alderman Richard Mell owns a variety of shotguns, rifles, and pistols, but forgot to re-register them, which makes the handguns permanently illegal and unregisterable under Chicago law.  Since he wants to keep his handguns, he is proposing a 1 month registration amnesty period.  The catch?  It would only apply to people who happened to have failed to re-register in the same time frame as him.  Chicago’s Mayor Daley endorses this plan, which is designed to benefit an influential alderman, while the vast majority of Chicago’s law abiding citizens will be left without the ability to keep a handgun to defend themselves. Read the rest of this article »

Recently, I have heard politicians talking about what they consider to be “reasonable restrictions” on gun rights. These restrictions are often anything but reasonable, so I thought it would be a good exercise to compare what society would be like if we treated other fundamental rights the same way that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution’s right to keep and bear arms is treated Read the rest of this article »

Shooting is a great sport for everyone.  I say that not just because it is fun, but because it does not have to have the same physical requirements as many other sports.  This allows a lot of people to participate and excel at shooting, even if they could not do the same in other sports.  Shooting is also great for the most physically fit among us, who are seeking a new challenge. Read the rest of this article »

In the US and the UK, there are attempts by anti gun groups to make the ownership of guns seen as taboo, from both a legal and moral perspective. These attempts at eliminating “gun culture” are doomed to backfire, as history and human nature teach use. Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

As stated in my biographical and demographical information, I am an African American male, in my mid twenties.  Because of this, some of my friends have questioned whether it is wise of me to go to gun stores and ranges.  These friends were concerned that, due to my race, I would face discrimination or violence in these gun-related locations.  Since I have heard so many people voice this concern to to me, I thought I would describe my experiences as a black man who frequents 4 Chicago area gun stores and shooting ranges: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve noticed that many people who aren’t familiar with guns tend to fear them.  I’m not referring to the fear of a criminal pointing a gun at them, but rather a fear of owing a gun themselves.  Recently I asked coworkers and other people who have such a fear of guns why guns scare them. This article lists the answers I’ve been given, along with solutions for such irrational fears of guns. Read the rest of this article »

Every time I read about an “accidental” shooting in the news, I want to write a letter to the editor to point out their error. The fact is that when someone is unintentionally shot, it was not an “accidental” shooting. Instead, it was either a negligent or reckless shooting. Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

Guns ownership and sporting use is a special hobby like no other.  And I’m not only speaking about the unique fun and physics that go along with responsible firearms use -  Whether you are interested in hunting, target practice, or collecting, firearms as a hobby require something that almost no other hobby requires: Read the rest of this article »

Lawfully purchasing a gun online requires only a little bit more work than purchasing most other items online, and this extra effort can be worth the price savings.  Other times, the exact firearm that the buyer wants might not be available locally, especially when the gun in question is no longer in production, or is a high demand item that is in short supply.  This article describes the relatively simple process of legally purchasing a gun online. Read the rest of this article »

Recently I have read articles produced by anti-gun groups which painted the picture of an America without guns. These articles argue that if we were to ban guns tomorrow, that the country would be a better place. I’ll leave aside the fact that firearm ownership is a right protected by the 2nd amendment, and address the substantive argument: Such anti-gun propaganda fails to take into account practical considerations, as well as human nature. Rather than reducing crime, such a ban on firearms would leave criminals with a monopoly on guns, and law abiding citizens would have their own monopoly on defenselessness. Read the rest of this article »

Gun rights are important for self defense, defense of our loved ones, and defense of our country. They also help protect our other civil rights (and in another way than you are probably thinking). Read the rest of this article »

Guns provide a special type of security that cannot be equaled by police protection. This is true even for people who live in relatively safe, affluent areas, and enjoy the services of a well funded and professional police department. Allow me to explain why. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve noticed a good deal of casual bias against guns and gun owners in blogs, even on those that are unrelated to the discussion of gun ownership rights. This bias seems to take the form of an assumption that a person carrying a gun will open fire at the drop of a hat, and/or that gun owners are less intelligent. I saw a prime example of this yesterday: Read the rest of this article »

When tragic events such as school shootings occur, some people seem tempted to call for “gun free zones”, in which it would be unlawful to have a firearm, and/or where the penalties for having a firearm would be increased dramatically. The belief that these “gun free zones” will prevent crime relies upon flawed reasoning, namely the belief that Read the rest of this article »

As I mentioned in an earlier article, I support all of our constitutional rights, regardless of whether I personally exercise those rights. Unfortunately, the American Civil Liberties Union (the ACLU), which is generally a reputable organization that can be counted on to stand up for our constitutional rights, has decided to oppose the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I find this to be an exceptionally sad situation, and would urge the ACLU to reconsider. Read the rest of this article »

Politicians and anti gun groups often speak about “reasonable restrictions” or “common sense restriction” on gun ownership. More often than not, these “reasonable restrictions” are anything but reasonable, given the fact that Read the rest of this article »

Anti gun politicians and special interest groups have tried to argue that the Second Amendment should be limited to protecting guns with a “sporting purpose”. In other words, the anti gun groups believe that law abiding citizens should only be able to own guns designed for hunting or target practice, rather than self defense Read the rest of this article »

Many of the most ardent anti-gun politicians, such as Chicago’s Mayor Daley, are protected by taxpayer-sponsored armed body guards, but deny law abiding citizens the right to defend Read the rest of this article »

There seems to be a good deal of confusion surrounding hollow point bullets, and the state of New Jersey has even enacted a partial ban on hollow points. This article is intended to help clear things up Read the rest of this article »

The federal government had an “assault weapons” ban from 1994 until 2004, and many state and local governments have enacted or considered enacted their own “assault weapon” bans. These bans make illegal many safety and utility features of guns, while not serving to prevent crime Read the rest of this article »