A Comparison Chart: Law Abiding Gun Owners vs. Criminals

It seems that many people fail to grasp the difference between law abiding gun owners and criminals, and lump both groups together.  The fact is that law abiding gun owners are the polar opposite of criminals – and are a criminal’s worst nightmare. The comparison chart below highlights the profound differences which tend to exist between law abiding gun owners (such as this author) and criminals.

Law Abiding Gun Owners:	Criminals:
Lawfully purchase guns after background checks and waiting periods.	Buy guns on the black market or steal them.
Store guns lawfully and responsibly.	Negligently leave loaded guns where children can find them.
Use guns for self defense and sporting purposes.	Use guns to commit violent crimes.
Obey pointless and arbitrary gun restrictions.	Ignore gun regulation laws.
Wish to see their fellow citizens armed and able to defend themselves.	Want unarmed and defenseless victims.
Have a constitutional right to gun ownership.	Are already prohibited from owning guns, but ignore that law just as they ignore the law against murder.
Are often members of the NRA.	Are not NRA members and do not care about protecting the Second Amendment or our other civil rights.
Have often learned to safely use firearms from a young age, under responsible adult supervision.	Often taught to use guns by other criminals, or while in a gang.
Are often well educated and law abiding pillars of their community.	The worst members of the community, who are the causes of violent crime.
Have a great respect for human life.	Are willing to kill or harm their fellow humans for personal gain.
Often enjoy a harmonious relationship with nature.	Show the same level of contempt for animals that they show for humans.
Are disarmed by gun control laws.	Are not disarmed by gun control laws.
Obey the longstanding ban on machine guns.	Break the law and own machine guns in areas that prohibit them.
Obey handgun bans due to respect for the law and fear of prosecution.	Are not deterred by handgun bans just as they are not deterred by the law against armed robbery.

Note: I’ve had a reader tell me that not *all* law abiding gun owners have a great respect for human life, and that not *all* criminals learn to shoot while in a gang. That is true, and I never stated otherwise. Rather, I’ve used words such as “often” and “many” to qualify my statements, since no generalization can possibly fit every single law abiding gun owner, or every single criminal. We live in a world with few absolutes, and where just about every statement has some exception. The point here is to show important differences which tend to exist between these two radically different groups of people.

For those that still miss this point, perhaps a non-gun-related example will clear things up:
Most mammals (such as humans, dogs, cats, horses, mice, elephants, lions, bears, etc.) don’t lay eggs, however some mammals do (such as the duck-billed platypus and the spiny anteater). It is still reasonable to say that mammals don’t “often” lay eggs, or that “many” mammals give live birth.