states do not affect the amount of violence that occurs, but that “the strong correlation
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with racial and linked socio-economic variables suggests that the underlying deterrents of the homicide rate relate to particular cultural factors”(British government publication qtd. in Kates 53).
Further on in the body of Kates’ article on gun control, he refuteates the belief that gun owners are lulled into a false sense of security when they believe that they can defend their family and home. Surprising statistics and interviews with prisoners prove that gun ownership by the average citizen is in fact a deterrent to crime. Many police departments advocate the ownership of guns by the private citizenry because they know that they can not adequately provide safety for their entire communities. In fact, cities such as Miami, Chicago and Cleveland, more criminals are shot and killed by citizens than police. Furthermore, evidence of private ownership of handguns being a deterrent to crime
comes from criminals themselves. Kates borrows facts from an interview conducted
by the Social and Demographic Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts in which prisoners state that:
(1) they and other criminals tried to avoid victims they
believed may have been armed and that (2) they
favor gun prohibition because, by disarming the victim,
it will make their lives safer without affecting their
access to illegal guns.(55)
Kates further proves this point by using statistics from the Orlando Police Department. The city started offering women courses in the use of handguns to defend themselves against rapists. Not only did Orlando’s rape rate go down by 90%, but also by another 9% in outlying towns.
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Next, Kates attacks the gun control advocate stance that “Guns are five times deadlier than the weapons most likely to be substituted for them in assaults where firearms were not available”(qtd. In Kates 58). Kates points out that these advocates lack to differentiate between the types of guns used, and that a criminal would automatically turn to knife if a handgun were denied him. With more research and statistics, Kates proves that when denied a handgun, the average criminal “will turn to a sawed-off shotgun or long rifle.”(58) If handguns were to be outlawed and if “50 percent [of criminals] used shotguns or rifles, there would actually be an increase in assault-related deaths by as much as 300 percent”(58). Also more accidental deaths occur in this country from long rifles as opposed to handguns.
Lastly, Kates cites a chilling example of how private ownership of a gun by law abiding citizens could have prevented a horrific event. In graphic detail, he describes the abhorrent attack on three helpless women who, in their own home, “were held captive [for 14 hours while being] raped, robbed , beaten, forced to commit sexual acts upon each other and made to submit to the sexual demands of [their attackers].” The police had failed to respond to two calls made by two off the women and they were left defenseless in their own home. An ensuing lawsuit against the city failed as the courts held that “a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection to any particular citizen.”(qtd. In Kates 59) This graphic illustration drives home the need for the 2nd Amendment and its theme that “…the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”(US Constitution, excerpt from 2nd Amendment).The Constitution further establishes to “insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings
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of Liberty to ourselves…”(US Constitution) When taken literally it is in fact the governments responsibility to provide for its citizens and to protect the ideals behind the Constitution. It is the governments responsibility to hold up the right of the average citizen to protect home and hearth by means of owning a hand gun.
In Don B. Kates, Jr.’s conclusion to his article, he stresses the need for informed opinions on gun control laws and opposes the moral conjecture of those opposed to the 2nd Amendment. All in all, he has put forth an extremely informative work backed up by well-researched statistics and graphic portrayals of what could and does frequently happen in our violent society.
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SOURCES CITED
Harr, Scott J. and Hess, Karen M. Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice Professionals.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1998. 65.
Hicks, Stephen and Kelly, David. Readings For Logical Analysis. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1998. pp.47-50, 51-60, 81-84, 218-21.
Kates, Don B., Jr. “Handgun Bans: Facts to Fight With”.Guns and Ammo Annual.
Los Angeles: Petersen. 1984. pp.4, 6, 8-11.
Martin, Josea L. “A Few Kind Words for Affirmative Action.” The Wall Street Journal.
April 25, 1991. op-ed page.
Mencken, Henry L. “The Penalty of Death.” Prejudices, Fifth Series. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf. 1926
The New American Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1971.
O’Neil, Robert M. Discriminating Against Discrimination. Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited. 1985. 68-69.
Rubenstein, David. “Don’t Blame Crime on Joblessness.” The Wall Street Journal.
November 9, 1992. op-ed page.
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