Gun Control Propaganda - my response.

This will be the first of many I am sure. I first give you the "email of persuasion" sent to me followed by my response...oh the NRA - a pool of propaganda.

The email read:
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953,about 20 million dissidents, unable todefend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.------------------------------In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 millionArmenians, unable to defendthemselves, were rounded up and exterminated.------------------------------Germany establ ished gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a totalOf 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves wererounded up and exterminated.------------------------------China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 millionpolitical dissidents, unable todefend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.------------------------------Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000Mayan Indians, unable todefend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.------------------------------Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000Christians, unable to defendthemselves, were rounded up and exterminated.------------------------------Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one millioneducated' people, unable todefend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.-----------------------------Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Centurybecause of gun control: 56million. ------------------------------It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced bynew law to surrender640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, aprogram costing Australiataxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are nowin:Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percentAustralia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percentAustralia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent) Inthe state of Victoriaalone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that whilethe law-abiding citizensturned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess theirguns! While figures over the previous25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, thishas changed drastically upward inthe past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their preyis unarmed. There has also been adramatic increase in break- ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australianpoliticians are at a loss to explain howpublic safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expensewas expended in successfullyridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and theother historical facts above prove it. Youwon't see this data on the US evening news, or hear politiciansdisseminating this information. Guns in the handsof honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control lawsadversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.Take note my fellow Americans, before it's to o late! The next timesomeone talks in favor of gun control, pleaseremind them of this history lesson. With guns, we are 'citizens'.Without them, we are 'subjects'. During WWII theJapanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED!

My response:
This is propaganda full of fear-mongering, unsubstantiated claims - easy to make such claims like this and others listed in the piece you sent me because it rouses emotions rather than empirical, evidence based policy. Emotions of fear and powerlessness are used to destroy rationality and encourage docility in "regular citizens". Look carefully at the syntax. Words like, "prey" create fear. This fear stir images of an unrestrained anarchy one finds in the wild, not societies with rational beings and laws. No where is mentioned in that piece that America has the highest murder rate in the world by double figure percentiles. No where in the piece does it mention the ratio of "accidental" gun deaths far exceeds the "save lives and property" outcomes. (again, where is the empirical support behind that statement they made?) "During WWII the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans
were ARMED! " This is the grossest propaganda of them all and it is worth noting that it is the last statement made. A paragraph of fear inducing statements are developed increasing the helplessness and powerlessness of the reader finally bringing the reader to a climax of "how can I escape these awful, evil people who are out to destroy me?" The answer is given - just as we did with those evil "japs" who murdered our unsuspecting soldiers - we as citizens become "ARMED" (notice the capitalization). We become "subjects not citizens" when we loose our ability to reason. Look more closely at the history lessons from each of the examples given. The intellectuals were those who were terminated in societies such as in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge - not because they intellectually would know where to find guns, but because they would not accept the principles and propaganda perpetuated by the demanding group. Descent is power - not guns.

dana.