Dakota Beacon

While the anti-gun cranks fume and bluster using their “assault weapon” misnomer, gun owners should take heart. For all the leftist big talk and swagger, there are good reasons their gun control schemes will come to naught. More in a moment.

Is anyone not struck by the horror and loss of the Columbine school killings, the Aurora theater murders, the Newtown school massacre? In the emotion of the moment, in a fit of irony, it makes gun controllers want to lash out and hurt someone -- especially 2nd Amendment advocates, responsible citizens legally possessing any firearm. To be sure, the uglier the firearm, the greater the passion.

A week following the Newtown shootings NRA president Wayne LaPierre stated, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” He then called for armed guards in every school. For this the irresponsible media vilified him calling him “delusional” and “paranoid.” They ignored the fact that many schools already have such guards. President Obama sends his kids to a private school with 11 armed guards. That’s in addition to the normal Secret Service protection for his kids. The same media conveniently ignored incidents verifying LaPierre’s assertion. Recently, in San Antonio, a man burst into a theater and started shooting. An armed off-duty cop (a good guy with a gun) shot him. Recent school incidents where good guys with guns stopped bad guys with guns occurred in Edinboro, PA; Pearl, MS; and the Appalachian School of Law. Such incidents dramatically lowered the death toll.

Who heard about these? They were covered in local news but never made it to the nation’s headlines. Why? They don’t fit the mainstream media’s template. Neither does the fact that strict gun control cities like Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, DC still have high rates of violent crimes and murders committed with firearms.

But, to my point. For all the hoopla the anti-2nd Amendment efforts may be going nowhere fast. (I credit the Breitbart News Syndicate with courage and insight for stating exceptions to conventional wisdom.)

Three reasons suggest why leftist Democrat gun control rhetoric may not produce results. First, on December 19 President Obama announced the formation of the Biden Gun Violence Task Force. The dominant media initially greeted the announcement as a good sign for serious gun control. Implication: If you don’t agree with Obama and Biden on gun control, you don’t honor those we lost in Newtown. There is a word for this type of argumentation. Blackmail. But then, Democrat leaders and leftists in general are known for their thuggishness.

However, creating a blue-ribbon panel may indicate just the opposite. Typically, blue-ribbon panels go nowhere. This is Washington’s way of giving the appearance of doing something without actually taking action. Furthermore, task forces are a great way to slow down a push for legislation. This is a great example of “paralysis by analysis.”

Second, mid-term elections come up in 2014. Democrats barely clung to their majority in the Senate in 2010 and 2012. In 2014 Democrats must defend senate seats in eleven states all of which have very strong blocks of pro-gun voters. It is unlikely Harry Reid wants to risk his slim senate majority by making gun control a midterm issue.

Third, Obama’s gun task force press conference took an unexpected turn. Despite a week’s worth of news stories covering the Newtown school massacre and stories focusing on anti-gun legislation, only two reporters asked about gun control. All the rest dealt with the “fiscal cliff.” Apparently the press corps does not put much stock in all the gun ban noise. Gun banners have had their wish list for years with no new specifics to add.

As a fallback position, should restrictive gun laws be passed, the NRA, Gun Owners of America and others are well funded to pursue a court fight against 2nd Amendment transgressions.

To press the point, examples of an armed citizenry protecting itself abound. Check the following six information sources for routine examples of why armed self-defense works.

  -- The NRA’s monthly magazine “America’s 1st Freedom” containing the usual column “The Armed Citizen;”

  -- The NRA’s Armed Citizen Database;

  -- Clayton Cramer’s Gun Self-defense Blog;

  -- Women on Target;

  -- Second Amendment Sisters;

  -- Gun Watch.

To hack the jargon and sling the lingo, the armed citizen is true empowerment, especially for the women. Go for it girls! Another “women’s studies” program just doesn’t empower the way a .38 Special does.

Gun control is not the answer. Criminal control is.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).