Gun Control - Who's Protected?

With the rash of recent shootings the inevitable discussion rears up front again about gun control. Of course the latest shootings also include such words as "lone wolf terrorist", "hate speech", "white supremacist". While the individuals who committed these crimes may indeed hold such beliefs, I don't believe it was the fact that they owned or had guns that made them that way. But that's for another posting.

I find it interesting that areas with the strictest gun control measures in place have the highest firearms crimes committed. Washington DC had actually BANNED handguns (until the Supreme Court Of The United States told them they couldn't outright ban them) and had the highest gun crime in the nation. Chicago also has very strict gun laws and also has very high gun crimes. Apparently the rest of Illinois isn't so strict on guns and must have lower gun crimes because as a state, Illinois isn't in the top 10.

In doing some research last year after the Supreme Court's decision in Heller v D.C., I came across quite a few articles stating that the police have NO duty to actually protect individuals. First, there just aren't enough cops for such a task - that would require at least 2 per block in major cities I would imagine. So it really is up to the individual to protect themselves until the cops get there; and hopefully they do get there before you really have to put up a fight and injure or be injured.

I love how those in favor of gun control deliberately choose to ignore the fact that the Supreme Court never said that reasonable restrictions and requirements for gun ownership couldn't be imposed on the people; they just said that outright BANNING of guns was UNconstitutional. I do feel that potential gun owners should have to take safety classes for the use and care of owning a gun. We do it for driving, so it only makes sense for guns also. Reasonable restrictions always make sense, but making things more difficult or expensive for the average, law-abiding, Joe/Jane on the street is just not right.

So who's really being punished here? Not the criminals, they don't give a ratz behind about rules and regulations. Gun control laws only hamper and inconvenience the law-abiding citizen who isn't about to go out and commit a crime to start with. If we're honest, we'd admit that criminals never use guns that can be tracked to them anyway - meaning they are using stolen or illegally purchased weapons. Take away the people's guns and only the criminals (who don't get them legally to start with) and the cops (not all of them are good either) will have guns along with the military.

Our founders created the 2nd Amendment to guarantee that our God-given right to protect ourselves could not be taken from us; also that we could protect ourselves from a government that was becoming too tyrannical and powerful.

In my opinion, gun control laws only enable and empower criminals as they won't be afraid that their next victim might have a gun; and enable any power hungry government to subjagate the masses of unarmed people. I was born free in a supposedly "free" country (U.S.A.) and I plan on dying FREE!