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As reported, 5 people were shot in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood during a 24 hour period. All were shot with handguns, despite Chicago’s decades long, ineffective, and likely unconstitutional handgun ban. Read the rest of this article »

I noticed a truly disturbing article in the news today, involving a Canadian whose home was invaded. This citizen shot and killed one of the armed home invaders, who had broken in and held him captive at gunpoint. He is now being charged with manslaughter for defending himself within his own home: Read the rest of this article »

I recently debated the issue of gun rights with a relative of mine who is decidedly anti gun.  She has never fired a gun, and has no desire to do so.  She is afraid of guns in and of themselves, rather than being concerned about the actions of criminals.  I though I would post a particularly salient portion of the discussion, as I can best remember it: Read the rest of this article »

Gary Reed has written a great article addressing the use of terms such as “assault weapon” and “Saturday night special.”  Here is one of the more humerus quotes:

“Hometown Herald - A pair of assault thugs stole a Ford Saturday Night Special Crew Cab and drove it through the front door of the Saturday Nyte Special 99 Cent Store. They attacked the ATM with an assault crowbar, but the shop owner drove them off with a small self-defense assaultin’ pepperbox revolver.”

As reported, the armed robberies in Oak Park, Illinois are increasing, despite the more than 20-year-old handgun ban: Read the rest of this article »

This video clip is one of the most compelling personal accounts about guns and self defense that I have ever seen. Texas state representative Dr. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp’s parents were killed by an insane gunman while her gun was out in the car - left there because of the laws restricting concealed carry at that time. She gives some very moving and bold testimony about the REAL purpose of the Second Amendment: Self defense, and how the gun control laws only served to leave her family defenseless.
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In a community newspaper, Maryland State Senator Ulysses Currie called the Supreme Court “blind to [the] consequences” of the recent District of Columbia. v. Heller decision, in which gun ownership for self defense was determined to be an individual right, independent of militia service.  Senator Currie, who is not an attorney himself, starts out by criticizing the legal rulings of our country’s highest court.  He then proceeds to suggest that the Second Amendment should be ignored by courts and legislatures, since the constitution was written over 200 years ago.  Finally, Senator Ulysses Currie make the unfounded argument that allowing law abiding citizens to have firearms in their homes for self defense against the law-breaking criminals will result in more violence.  I address each of these erroneous contentions below: Read the rest of this article »

As I’ve previously mentioned, crime in England has skyrocketed since their passage of strict gun control laws.  The criminals still shoot innocent citizens, and gun smugglers bring illegal guns into the UK just as illegal drugs are imported.  The criminals who are willing to commit violent crimes such as murder are just as willing to violate a relatively minor gun control law.  Tired of seeing law abiding citizens at the mercy of criminals, Graham Showell decided to do something: Read the rest of this article »

As the Chicago Tribune reported, a boy in Oak Park was robbed of his shoes, gym bag, cash, and iPod by a bicycle riding criminal at 12 Madison St, Oak Park, Illinois.  The gunman rode up on a bicycle and displayed a black pistol, before relieving the teenager of his properly, valued at about $500. Read the rest of this article »

This satirical video clip has the solution for preventing murder, armed robbery, rape, home invasions, school shootings, racist attackers, and psychopathic killers.  Personally, I’ll stick with having a shotgun for home defense. Read the rest of this article »

Below is a rather interesting scholarly journal article, written by psychiatrist Sarah Thompson, MD. In the article, Dr. Thompson addresses hoplophobia, the mental disorder which describes irrational fear of guns, and the mentality surrounding this issue.  It is an interesting read: Read the rest of this article »

The bike by shootings reportedly happened about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of North Avenue and Karlov Avenue, in the Humbolt Park neighborhood.  A male cyclist rode by, opening fire on two pedestrians, before peddling away. Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, the armed robbers in Oak Park have continued for another week, in spite of the 23 plus years that Oak Park has banned handguns.  More information is below: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve seen a tendency to blame all gun owners after one gun user is negligent, or commits a crime.  This is unfair, and counterproductive: Read the rest of this article »

Randy Shannon is the head coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes, and he dislikes guns.  Because of his personal feelings on guns, he has reportedly banned his college football players from having guns, even off campus in their private homes. Read the rest of this article »

The NRA maintains a list of organizations which have opposed the right of law abiding Americans to own guns for self defense or sporting purposes.  Upon viewing the list, I was quite surprised (and disappointed) to see how extensive it was.  The full list is shown below: Read the rest of this article »

As the Chicago Tribune reports, Chicago’s murder rate is up 18% over the same time frame last year.  62 people were killed in the month of July alone, and there were several high profile shootings, such as the Taste of Chicago shootings or the murder of a cop with his own gun.  In the overwhelming majority of these murders, criminals used handguns, despite 20+ year long ban on handgun ownership in Chicago.  Clearly, the criminals are ignoring the handgun ban. Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, there were 5 armed robberies in Oak Park during the last week.  3 of the armed robbers used firearms, while 2 used knives: Read the rest of this article »

I was reviewing the search engine statistics for this website, and found that there were quite a few people searching for “What is Gun Control”?  I, and many readers of this website are quite familiar with gun control, however I thought an introduction to gun control might be helpful for some people: Read the rest of this article »

In this video clip, ABC’s 20/20 discusses the myth that gun control laws reduce crime. Instead, of showing a reduction in crime, John Stossel finds that gun control leads to an increase in crime, prevents law abiding citizens from defending themselves, doesn’t deter criminals, harms the weaker members of society, and paves the way for school shootings.  It is refreshing to see a major news outlet reporting these facts in a unbiased manner. Read the rest of this article »

A letter by Thomas B. Carney, published in the Star Ledger, points out the ineffectiveness and wastefulness of gun control laws: Read the rest of this article »

A good percentage of crime consists of criminals victimizing other criminals, often over drugs, money, or gang turf.  However, criminals will often break into the wrong house, or attack the wrong person, after mistaking them for someone else.  Self defense in this situation is yet another reason to own a gun: Read the rest of this article »

As the Times Online reports, a British based gun smuggling ring was busted, and its leaders were sentenced to long prison terms.  The operation was reportedly run by Madasser Ali, Agnius Malcevas, and his brother Edgaras Malcevas.   Although this is being heralded as a victory in the war against “gun crime,” it should instead be seen as sobering proof that gun control just won’t work.  Allow me to explain: Read the rest of this article »

As the Chicago Tribune reports, a committee of the Chicago City Council is considering a proposal to create an online database of gun offenders, complete with photographs and interactive maps.  If approved, anyone convicted of a felony gun offense after the ordinance’s effective date would have to register with the city as a gun offender. Offenders would have to register within 48 hours of conviction or, if sent to jail or prison, their release from the institution. Conviction for failure to register could result in a 6-month jail sentence and $500 fine.  Allow me to explain the problems with this firearms offender registry plan: Read the rest of this article »

Americans use a gun in self defense once every 13 seconds: Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, Oak Park, IL is short on cash due to decreased revenue, which is blamed on the faltering economy.  Despite the $1,368,100 budgetary shortfall, Oak Park will still spend taxpayer money defending their (likely unconstitutional) handgun ban. Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, a highly intoxicated man who jumped out of a car on Austin Boulevard hurling racial slurs and swinging a bat was shot by one of his would-be victims.  This is particularly interesting because it happened right on the border of Oak Park and Chicago, which both ban handguns, and in the state of Illinois, which bans concealed carry: Read the rest of this article »

As the Sun Herald reports, an 84 year old Mississippi man used his handgun to stop a home invader.  The elderly man was at home with his 74-year-old wife, at about 5 a.m. at their residence in the area of Adams Street, in Bayside Park. Hancock County Sheriff’s Investigator Andre Fizer said the couple heard a noise as an alleged criminal tried to break through the front door, then tried to enter through a back door, and also through a rear window of the residence.  As he grew weaker trying to hold off the intruder at the back door, the resident asked his wife to bring his .45 caliber Colt handgun. He fired one shot through a lower panel of the door, wounding the alleged home invader, Wade Ledesma. Read the rest of this article »

As the Sun Times reports, the illegal gun possession case against Drew Peterson will now proceed.  Drew Peterson, who is suspected in the disappearance of his wife Stacy, was charged with possessing a rifle whose barrel was a fraction of an inch too short.  Allow me to explain the injustice here: Read the rest of this article »

As the Chicago Tribune reports, the Morton Grove, Illinois handgun ban has been repealed by a 5-1 vote of the village board. Read the rest of this article »

As Fox News reports, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that overturned the District of Columbia’s unconstitutional handgun ban has filed a new federal lawsuit against the city.  Dick Heller and two other plaintiffs claim that the city’s new gun regulations still violate their self defense rights, as guaranteed by the constitution: Read the rest of this article »

The Gun Control Act of 1968, a US Federal statute, prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.  In the wake of the D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court decision, several lawsuits have been filed by convicted felons, seeking to regain their right to keep and bear arms for self defense and sporting purposes. Most of the people I’ve discussed this with are of the opinion that convicted felons should not be allowed to own guns.  I, however, have reached the conclusion that such blanket prohibition on gun ownership by felons is not reasonable.  Allow me to explain why: Read the rest of this article »

A criminal reportedly opened fire in a Knoxville, Tennessee church, where a group of children were performing a play.  The criminal, who used a shotgun, is reportedly thought to have targeted the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church because it is very liberal, and allowed gay ministers and gay marriages. Churchgoers dived for cover under pews, but nine members of the congregation were hit before a group of them managed to tackle the gunman as he reloaded. At least two people, Greg McKendry and Linda Kreager, were reportedly killed.  Jim D. Adkisson, the 58 year old suspected shooter, has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bail, according to city spokesman Randy Kenner. This tragedy shows the need for armed, law abiding citizens, who can quickly act in self defense: Read the rest of this article »

While discussing the lawsuit which seeks to strike down Chicago’s ineffective and likely unconstitutional handgun ban, Mayor Richard Daley made a series of anti-gun arguments.  These arguments appear to be based upon faulty or non-existent reasoning, and make the utterly untrue assumption that law abiding citizens will generally misuse guns for no reason at all.  This article analyzes and rebuts Daley’s rather weak anti-gun arguments one by one: Read the rest of this article »

I received an email from Graham Showell, a law abiding British citizen who is hoping to bring American-style concealed carry rights to his country. Mr. Showell requested that I post a link to his petition in the hope of gaining added publicity. The petition can be seen here, and more information about it is included below: Read the rest of this article »

Gun ownership by law abiding citizens has a deterrent effect upon criminals, and the reason is quite clear: A criminal out to commit robbery/rape/theft/etc. is looking for an easy target, not one that will fight back. Since criminals can’t know which potential victim is armed, they know that committing a crime is a risk. Accordingly, the more armed citizens that we have, the greater the deterrent effect upon criminals. Read the rest of this article »

As UPI reports, Federal agents announced that they had rounded up 38 reputed Los Angeles gang members and associates on gun and drug charges.  The arrests were made after an undercover agent bought fully automatic (machine guns) such as AK-47s and M-16s from the gang members. A total of 119 guns were confiscated during the investigation and an alleged drug trafficking ring was broken up as well.  This is simply more proof of the fact that criminals who want guns will get them, and banning guns only leaves the law abiding citizens unable to defend themselves.  It also serves to prove true the point I made before, that stricter gun control laws will result in criminals with machine guns.

Almost every day, politicians and other public figures get on their soapboxes and argue for gun control. They say their latest pointless and ineffective gun control laws will be “tough on criminals.” The reality of the situation is that criminals like gun control laws. This is because criminals will still have guns, and their victims will be easier targets. get Allow me to explain further: Read the rest of this article »

As the Chicago Tribune reports, a woman was robbed by a man who threatened to shoot her on the platform of the Austin Blue Line stop, Oak Park police reports indicated. The woman was standing on the platform when she was approached by a man who asked her for spare change. When she declined, the man stuck a hand under his shirt and threatened to shoot her with a gun. The criminal then grabbed her by the wrist, and took her cell phone and wallet valued at $350. This robbery, like the countless others in Oak Park, IL, occurred despite the decades long handgun ban. Read the rest of this article »

As 680News reports, a 39-year-old Toronto police officer has been arrested for allegedly buying a prohibited gun barrel over the Internet and illegally importing it into Canada.  The gun barrel was discovered as the police officer attempted to re-enter Canada from the USA. Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, there were an additional 3 armed robberies in Oak Park, IL this week.  This follows on the heels of many other armed robberies in Oak Park, which have continued unabated despite the more than 20-year-long ban on handguns.   Read the rest of this article »

Various cities across the country, most notably Chicago, have run gun buy back programs. These programs offer citizens money in exchange for turning in guns. Such programs allow politicians to claim that they have “taken hundreds of guns off the street” that would have otherwise been used in crimes. In reality, these programs don’t do much (if anything) to stop crime, but do consume large sums of money that would be better spent actually fighting crime: Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, a 39 year old man was shot in the pelvis after an argument with his step-son.  The shooting took place on the 600 block of Lake Street, in Oak Park, IL.  The victim was transported to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, IL and underwent exploratory surgery to ascertain the extent of his injury.  This is yet another shooting in Oak Park, in spite of the (likely unconstitutional) handgun ban. Read the rest of this article »

As CNN reports, a Palestinian man went on a rampage Tuesday in downtown Jerusalem, ramming a construction vehicle into cars and buses before he was shot and killed by a law abiding Israeli citizen and his firearm. Thanks to this armed citizen, this attack resulted in no deaths, unlike a similar construction vehicle attack which killed 3 people a few weeks ago. Read the rest of this article »

As the Wednesday Journal reports, on Monday morning, an Oak Park woman was preparing to take her baby to the doctor when a masked intruder burst into her apartment. The home invader then began beating the Oak Park woman with a baseball bat. During the beating, the woman dropped her 6-week-old baby. As the man continued to beat the woman about her upper body, a witness ran outside and waved down a passing police officer. The mother and infant were taken to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, IL for treatment of fractures and lacerations. The Wednesday Journal also reports that Oak Park police have a suspect, Anthony K. Murdix, 42, of Aurora, IL in custody. Read the rest of this article »

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 »

As the Mercury News reports, two male high school students at  Pinole Valley High were arrested on suspicion of possession of an illegal “assault weapon“, possession of a machine gun, bringing a firearm onto school grounds, being a minor in possession of live ammunition, being a minor with a concealed weapon, being a minor in possession of a firearm with prior conviction, a probation violation and marijuana transportation. Both of the arrested students have previous gun and ammunition possession arrests or convictions on their records, police said.  The gun that was brought to school was reportedly a fully automatic AK-47. Read the rest of this article »

As the Indy Star reports, a Franklin, IN man took his bolt action, .22LR caliber rifle and confronted a burglar. The burglar wrestled the gun away from the home owner, James Duncan, and shot him in the shoulder. Mr. Duncan survived, and there are important lessons to be learned here: Read the rest of this article »

As the Sun Times reports, a woman was shot in the leg after she struggled with two male attackers who stole her property in the West Loop, near the intersection of Randolph St and Halsted St early Friday. The men succeeded at taking her property after a struggle and as they were fleeing, fired shots at the woman, striking her in the leg. 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 »

As the Sum Times reports, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has blamed the news media for Chicago’s recent sharp increase in violent crime. So far, Mayor Daley has blamed guns, the Supreme Court, and now the news media. Perhaps instead of assigning blame to blameless parties, the Mayor should take steps to address the real causes of crime: Read the rest of this article »

As the Sun Times reports, after stating that violent crime in Chicago is “out of control,” Governor Rod Blagojevich offered to loan Illinois state troopers and National Guard equipment to Chicago to help augment the Chicago Police officers. Read the rest of this article »