Guns prevent chaos

Guns prevent chaos

Lazarus Austin
Issue date: 9/18/07 Section: Opinion
Lazarus Austin is a junior majoring in history. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

A new international poll has revealed that Americans have substantially more guns than any other country. According to the poll, nine out of 10 Americans own a gun and possess more than 250 million of the world's 600 million guns. As expected, many people are using this poll to call for more gun control. Gun critics seem to think that more guns mean more crime and fatalities. On the other hand, gun rights supporters claim it is their inalienable right to own a gun for self-defense or any other legal purpose. The simple fact of the matter is that the gun critics are just plain wrong. Time and time again, guns have proven to deter crime, not encourage it. A new video documentary concerning the St. James Massacre in South Africa was released this week. In that event, several terrorists attacked a Sunday morning service with grenades and assault rifles with the intent to kill everyone inside. However, one of the churchgoers dropped behind a bench, pulled out his .38 revolver, shot back and injured one of the terrorists. As a result, the terrorists ran away. Guns are used more for self defense than homicide-a fact, not a myth. Similar incidents occur all the time in terrorism prone countries like Israel, but are often thwarted with a violent thing of the past called a gun. That violent thing that has saved lives, protected the public from its enemies and, last but not least, helped us win our independence and keep it. Despite the results of the poll, the gun culture in America is diminishing, in some places more than others. When I was in New York with my parents this summer, I found myself passing time in the magazine section of Wal-Mart while I was waiting on my parents. When I looked for a gun or hunting magazine there was none. "Blasphemy!" was the first thought in my head. Down here, we are used to an entire shelf dedicated to hunting.
After I looked into it, I realized that guns are being gradually taken away from us all over the country. In Morton Grove, Ill., they completely prohibited the possession of handguns. What happened? Crime skyrocketed. In response to a high crime rate and the decision by Morton Grove, a city in Georgia decided to mandate the possession of a firearm in every household. Crime plummeted, including an 89 percent drop in burglary rates. In contrast, England and many other countries with strict gun control laws have much higher crime rates than the United States, while countries with very little gun control, such as Israel and Switzerland, have very low crime rates. Gun control proponents repeatedly ignore the facts. The statistics show that gun control only worsens the problem and that more guns can actually decrease crime. So, why don't we enact mandatory gun ownership laws all over the country? Who knows, maybe a few people at Virginia Tech would be grateful right now. But we'll never know. Fortunately, over 80 percent of Americans still appreciate the value of guns and do not support gun control. However, that number is decreasing. If gun control is ever favored by the majority, the country will descend into chaos.