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From: shallit@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP (Jeff Shallit)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: response to Gun Control advocates
Message-ID: <261@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-Jan-85 11:15:47 EST
Article-I.D.: gargoyle.261
Posted: Tue Jan  1 11:15:47 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Jan-85 00:51:22 EST
References: <>
Reply-To: shallit@gargoyle.UUCP (Jeff )
Organization: U. Chicago - Computer Science
Lines: 45
Summary: 

In article <> robertsb@ttidcb.UUCP writes:
>	300,000 Americans use a handgun EACH YEAR to either kill, wound,
>arrest or scare away an assailent or burgler.

     I'd love to see where Roberts gets this statistic.  It is in
strong contradiction to statistics I have from the Justice Department.
Also, please learn to spell "burglar" correctly.

>Above he says he is only interested in controlling handguns but
>ALL of his crime control arguments require complete control of ALL
>firearms even if you blindly accept his logic. Thus we see that this truely
>is an assault on the entire 2nd amendment as a whole for they will INDEED
>next say that rifles and shotguns are to be controlled.

     I don't know who "they" are here, but as a strong advocate of handgun
control, I am not in favor of the banning of rifles.  The reason is that
rifles have a legitimate hunting and sporting value, while most handguns are
designed for precisely one thing:  killing people.

>Private ownership of guns isn't suppose to be THE ANSWER, unlike the claims
>YOU have for gun control but it is a function of my right to defense of my
>life and liberty.
>Further without ANY effect of crime rates you wish to make my defense less
>efficient. You haven't the right to make me less safe and that is the only
>real effect of your proposals.

    What is this "right" nonsense?  The government has the right to ban
handgun ownership.  Period.  Look up the five Supreme Court decisions.

>Second it has a line of which I am quite fond ( I love using their OWN
>numbers to refute them.  Tee Hee ). It quotes 24 handgun deaths in Israel.
>Have you been to Israel or spoken to a resident of Israel, Mr. Simon?
>The people their are armed to a much HIGHER degree than ourselves and
>rightfully so. Believe me it is a clear example of how little Handgun
>Control Inc. understands the issue for them to list that country.

     The fact is, Mr. Roberts, that YOU do not understand the problem.
Handguns do not represent the majority of private guns in Israel.
Rather, they are guns like rifles and automatic pistols.  In fact, handguns
are strongly controlled.

     A handgun is a small, easily concealable, deadly weapon whose only
purpose is to kill people.  They should be controlled or banned.
/Jeff