Carry laws and misconceptions

[jdewyse]

Hi, I am a college student and I have been given the assignment to give a 15min long speech about something the "the world has wrong". The first thing that came to mind was the bad reputation that gun ownership and/or gun carry seems to get with the general public.
So my question to you fellow INGO members and gun enthusiasts is, If you had 15mins of unencumbered time to speak to a group of college students and one very Liberal professor what would you say?
I do wish to tell you I am not turning this into a debate on gun control laws or whether we need constitutional carry. I am merely trying to clear up some of the misconceptions about gun carry and firearms.
Your input is greatly appreciated because who better to talk about firearm misconceptions then gun owners.
Thank you

 

[CtWest]

I know I would include the states with the strictest gun laws, have the highest crime rate...for sure.

 

[SEIndSAM]

And find the stats that show that in every state that has enacted a real "Concealed Carry" law, crime rates went down. Check out the Florida stats, I lived there when they first enacted CCW.

 

[Classic]

I know I would include the states with the strictest gun laws, have the highest crime rate...for sure.

...and they tend to be the most liberal. Maybe a lack of belief in personal responsibility.

I would hammer on the right of self defense point myself. Even most liberals have to eventually concede that you have a right to defend yourself.

LE is basically in the business of tracking down criminals AFTER they have committed a crime. You are the only one who is there 24/7 to defend yourself and your family.

 

[eldirector]

As above - strict controls correlate with high crime.

Gun crimes are rarely committed by LTCH/CCW holders.

Criminals don't care about the law (by definition), so laws preventing them from committing gun crimes are useless.

Contrary to popular belief, relaxing restrictions does not increase gun crimes. While Hollywood has portrayed the Old West as full of violence, its rate was actually below modern rates in places like Detroit, Chicago, and possibly New York.

 

[the1kidd03]

population of 310 million and growing of which 80 million legal gun owners AND growing with only around 50,000 firearms related deaths or injuries every year....equates to over 99% of legal gun owners NOT harming anyone each year.......

according to the US Department of Justice in a 2009 study, only 7% of crimes were committed using a firearm, and of those 7% nearly 80% of the firearms used were obtained through face to face transactions or other illegal means....

all this just goes to prove that education is KEY, NOT more regulations restricting LAW ABIDING gun owners

many people assume that carrying a sidearm is illegal, which it is not....most states provide some way for citizens to carry a firearm legally, many require licensing which includes background checks and/or qualification/training with the firearm and there are over 300k registered LTCH holders in Indiana alone...meaning chances are that you are near one ever time you leave the house, but you just don't notice

I'd also make it a point to show that the 2nd amendment was not only intended for people to protect themselves from common criminals, it was also meant as a means to ensure the people had the necessities to remove/replace our government system should it become too corrupt or overbearing......many people seem to forget that fact

 

[remman]

Hi, I am a college student and I have been given the assignment to give a 15min long speech about something the "the world has wrong". The first thing that came to mind was the bad reputation that gun ownership and/or gun carry seems to get with the general public.
So my question to you fellow INGO members and gun enthusiasts is, If you had 15mins of unencumbered time to speak to a group of college students and one very Liberal professor what would you say?
I do wish to tell you I am not turning this into a debate on gun control laws or whether we need constitutional carry. I am merely trying to clear up some of the misconceptions about gun carry and firearms.
Your input is greatly appreciated because who better to talk about firearm misconceptions then gun owners.
Thank you

I don't really have anything to add to what the rest of the folks here are saying. Rather, I have a question for you. Where do you go to school? I'm currently a senior at Ball State.

 

[youngda9]

Gun Facts - Gun Control | Facts | Debunk | Myths

Plenty of ammunition there.

 

[canav844]

I would focus in on one or two specific anti-gun statements (not the general guns are bad, too broad, pick a narrow anti gun statement), then I would present overwhelming evidence, from a variety of sources (anti, pro and neutral bias that support your statement) to dispute those claims, then I would close with a real world anecdotal example that has an emotional appeal that you can directly relate to your audience. In 15min, you probably won't convert anyone, esp a professor that has spent years developing that position, but what you will be able to do is plant a seed in their mind that can grow into them changing their minds over time.

Link to a bunch of related sources:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...t_carry_a_handgun_are_stupid.html#post2435362
And a source I came across earlier this morning in my casual news reading:
Massad Ayoob » Blog Archive » GOOD MATERIAL FROM CATO INSTITUTE and Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens | Clayton E. Cramer and David Burnett | Cato Institute: White Paper

 

[rockhopper46038]

What grade do you need to get?

 

[NIFT]

www.handgunlaw.us is a veritable gold mine of current information, especially considering the great liniks on the site, too.
Strongly suggest you spend time researching there.

 

[cbseniour]

Recent scotus decisions giving the 2nd amendment status as ordinary constitutional law should make good fodder for a talk and you'd be dealing in current events more than history.

 

[crispy]

Going back even farther than the 1700's...

Firearms are the greatest equalizer man has ever created. Prior to gun ownership, the bigger badder meaner individuals ALWAYS imposed their will on others...

 

[goinggreyfast]

Plus it's a proven fact that "Chicks with guns is sexy!" Just ask any guy on here.

 

[INyooper]

The gun facts page noted earlier was the one that came to my mind first. Also, Massad Ayoob is the guy to go to for all sorts of firearm & self-defense issues.

As mentioned earlier, 15 minutes isn't a lot of time, so focus on a few points, making it clear that it's a huge topic to present in only 15 minutes. Also, point out that most people (aka, the general public) get their information about firearms from Hollywood, the media, and other uninformed people ...who get their information from Hollywood, the media ...and other ...well, you get the point.

Oh, and Oleg Volk does some fantastic photography with captions that often raise issues that are often not brought to the liberal table. Do an image search ...he's got a bunch....

When all is said and done, and people still want to blame a chunk of metal, wood, and plastic on all the ills of society, then it clearly makes sense to blame all my terrible term papers on my pencil ...right???

Good luck ...it'd be interesting to read the finished product!

 

[Classic]

Good idea on the term paper excuse too.

 

[jdewyse]

Thank you guys for the information so far. I am glad for the statistical resources and data, but do you guys have personal feelings that the public is misinformed about a particular issue regarding firearm carry or has misconceptions about gun ownership. An example I was thinking of is the poor standard of training our LEOs receive in regards to gun/carry laws. Again I like what you guys have said so far and thank you for your consideration.

 

[GuyRelford]

The most obvious misconception is that an Indiana LTCH is a "concealed carry permit" (requiring concealment) and that open carry is illegal.

Guy

 

[IndianaSigma]

I would definitely bring up the fact that most people carry for personal protection. I carry because the average police response time is 7-10 minutes. If you are at home with your family and someone decides to break into your home with the intent of hurting you or your family.......police are not going to arrive before that person acts.

An overwhelming majority of people who carry for protection hope to never have to pull their gun out.....let alone use it.


Taken from http://www.reasonorforce.com/2010/09/why-i-carry-gun.html:

The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunken guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

Then there’s the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the physically weaker party.

When I carry a gun, I don’t do it because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced; only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force.

It removes force from the equation… and that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

 

[williamsburg]

Plus it's a proven fact that "Chicks with guns is sexy!" Just ask any guy on here.