After recent mass shootings, all we hear is, “We have to stop this. All firearms must be confiscated. All military-style firearms must be outlawed!” There is a lot of rhetoric but no viable solutions and, in some cases, there’s opposition to proposals that might provide answers to the problems.
Recent studies show that firearms and the presence of them save lives and/or reduce crime. Statistics show that between 1993 and 2013, private gun ownership rate in the United States increased by 55 percent and the homicide rate decreased by 49 percent.
If people go off the rails and want to kill, there are many avenues they can choose from. The deadliest school mass murder in American history took place right here in Michigan. On May 18, 1927 in Bath Township, Andrew Kehoe killed 38 elementary students plus six adults. His weapon was explosives hidden in his truck.
No, the problem is not guns. Law-abiding citizens defend themselves, their loved ones and other individuals thousands of times each year. When guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.
—Joe Pilchak
Capac
