NRA News

[branford]

65. You could pose more challenging questions.

First, I would note that simply being a racist is not illegal in the USA, and people who are indeed racists do not lose any constitutional rights, regardless of whether the issue is guns, free speech, religion, etc. Also, being a racist, while loathsome, does not make someone a terrorist under the law, or provide justification for violent self-defense or criminal complaint.

More importantly, let's compare the readily available data. How many people openly (or concealed) carrying firearms have killed people in line at a theater, regardless of the reason? In fact, among the 80-100+ lawful gun owners in the USA, the numbers are so statistically insignificant that is approaches zero, and the reason why it was so newsworthy when it happened. In fact, the levels of crime, not just gun crime, among those with firearm carry permits are demonstrably lower than the overall national average and even lower than law enforcement officers.

Conversely, feel free to examine FBI or BJS crime statistics to see how many killers and rapists had previous robbery or other violent felony convictions. Such recidivism and increasing levels of crime are sadly commonplace and indisputable.

Accordingly, it takes little to no intellectual capacity to understand why someone simply carrying a gun, but breaking no other laws (and open or concealed carry alone is definitely not "brandishing," or disorderly conduct, harassment, etc.), can generally be trusted, yet robbers and thieves will not be given the benefit of any doubt. Such simple understanding has been implemented for ages in our criminal code and related self-defense jurisprudence in both liberal and conservative states and federal jurisdictions.