Armed civilians save lives and reduce the number killed in mass shootings ... Citizens can respond in 10 seconds (cops take 10 minutes)

Monday, December 28, 2015 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: Gun control laws, self defense, lives saved

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(NaturalNews) To hear the anti-Second Amendment Left tell it, carrying a firearm for protection – of one's self and of the lives of those around him or her – is a myth perpetuated by the NRA and other gun rights groups and firearm manufacturers.

Writing in the Huffington Post, "cartoonist and blogger" Walker Bragman's attempt to sully the truth and misrepresent the data was typical of a liberal hit job on the effect that guns really have in American society:

"John Lott Jr. and professor Gary Kleck, a criminologist, argue that guns are frequently used for self defense. These claims have also been debunked by peer review. A study by Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig titled 'Guns in America: National Survey on Private Ownership and Use of Firearms,' found that Kleck's defensive gun use numbers are 'far too high' to the point of suggesting bias, as are numbers by similar studies. The National Institute of Justice found that there is even an overestimation in Cook and Ludwig's study. Another study by the Berkley Media Studies Group found similar discrepancies with Kleck's and Lott's defensive gun use claims. According to the Harvard Injury Control Research Center a gun in the home is more likely to be used to commit suicide or to threaten or kill an intimate than used to deter an attacker."

Yes, guns do prevent crimes and death

Talk about study bias. Firstly, none of the sources Bragman utilized support the Second Amendment, and secondly, many of the claims the studies (and Bragman) attempt to make are done out of context or in an attempt to mislead. For instance, guns in the home are more likely utilized for suicide because firearms-related suicide deaths account for two-thirds of all firearm deaths each year. That kind of puts a different perspective on the data used by Bragman – doesn't it?

Also, he doesn't say that firearms are never used in self-defense; he merely claims that Kleck's figures are outsized (which is debatable given the study sources). So how can gun use in self defense figures be "debunked?"

In fact, according to a compilation of self-defense cases posted at the website Ammoland, use of firearms in self-defense is not only quite common, but they are often credited with dramatically limiting the carnage a bad guy (or gal) with a gun seeks to inflict on society. Cases in point:

-- John Hendricks of Chicago was driving his personal vehicle for Uber one evening, and had just dropped off a passenger, when he saw a man holler, draw a handgun and start shooting at a nearby crowd. In fact, one of the shooter's bullets struck Hendricks' vehicle, the Chicago Tribune reported. Hendricks pulled his own weapon, shot the armed assailant and called 911. When police arrived, Hendricks walked up to them with his hands raised and his concealed carry license in hand. There is no telling how many people he saved with that action.

-- In Portland, Oregon, a man was turned away from a nightclub and that apparently angered him. He returned wearing a mask and carrying a firearm, shooting one of the bouncers and two other people at the club, wounding one critically, as reported by KOIN. That night, Jonathan Baer was also working as a bouncer and, because he had a concealed carry license, was packing a handgun. He shot and killed the attacker (and was cleared of any wrongdoing by police). Soon after, police discovered multiple bags of varied ammunition, and hundreds of rounds loaded in several magazines that fit a semi-automatic Glock handgun. There is no telling how many more people the suspect was preparing to kill.

And so on. And while Left-wing anti-gun media regularly reports that such uses are "rare," they fail to report that in many cases, if an armed attacker is merely confronted by someone with a gun – where there are no shots ever fired – that is enough to end the confrontation and save lives.

Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention find firearms to be an "important crime deterrent."

Sources:

HuffingtonPost.com

ChicagoTribune.com

Koin.com

CNSNews.com