Posted: 7/29/2006 12:33:08 PM EDT
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When arguing in favor of liberalized concealed carry laws, sometimes we like to make a utilitarian argument to support our position, i.e. "Yes, sometimes a concealed carry holder commits a crime and sometimes criminals with guns kill somebody. There are 2 million defensive uses of firearms every year in the Unitied States, however. The good outweighs the bad". Great, we all agree and I'm preaching to the choir. Now - what do we say when someone challenges the 2 million number - "What? No way. Prove it". So far, all I've got it "John Lott says so", which isn't very convincing all on it's own. I can try to sound a little smarter by saying "He conducted a comprensive study of defensive gun use in the United States, by surveying people who successfully used a firearm to defend themselves, and the application of sound statistical reasoning". That's a wordier way of saying "I'm full of shit, and I really don't know". I don't want to be put in this position, so help me out. How do I convince someone that there really are 2 million defensive uses of firearms every year in this country? |
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First of all, don't use that strategy, IMO. There's no way to prove or disprove it, as many cases never get reported to the cops. A better approach is to use the stronger gun control areas & their high crime/murder rates, such as Chicago, LA, Detroit, Washington, D.C., etc., for example. Or, as I do, grab a female by the shirtfront, slam her up against the nearest wall & then ask her, "If *I* were a rapist, who would come first: me or the cops?" I don't really suggest that method, but it is effective...................... 
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I'm not sure I agree. As long as I can demonstrate how the number was arrived at - and my reasons don't fail any logical tests - it should stand. I don't like the stronger gun control/high crime arguments, because they ignore other variables. Gun control laws in large cities strike me as a reaction to an existing problem of violence, where the cause was incorrectly attributed to widespread gun availability. I'd feel safer in Sonora California (strict gun laws) than I would in Dallas Texas (looser gun laws). The rapist one is funny, but it relies too much on emotion. 
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