Control is point of gun propaganda
In light of recent events, both in the United States and abroad, I feel compelled to voice my opinion on the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms. Much has been written in recent months about the "gun problem" in Mexico and the "responsibility" of American gun owners for that problem. Over and over again we are subjected to the amazing and alarming statistic that 90 percent of guns confiscated in Mexico and submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) for tracing are traced back to the United States. This astounding number is then used as a justification for limiting the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms. Those who would disarm the entire population of the United States in the name of public safety (for Mexico!) relentlessly trumpet this number and lay the blame at the feet of "corrupt" gun shops on the border with Mexico.
The problem with this number is that it is grossly misleading. The key to the entire argument is the second part of the original sentence, "... submitted to the BATF for tracing... " Here is where, as Mark Twain might say, the difference between lies, damn lies, and statistics is buried. The fact is, only 20 percent of guns confiscated in Mexico are even submitted for tracing to the BATF. That means that only 18 percent of guns confiscated in Mexico are actually traceable back to the United States. Why is it that only 20 percent of guns are submitted for tracing, you may ask? Simple: Because the other 80 percent are obviously not coming from American gun shops.
Most of the guns confiscated in Mexico are fully automatic rifles. These are exceedingly difficult to acquire in the United States and have been since 1934. Briefly, you must register your purchase with the BATF, AND obtain the written permission of your local sheriff, AND submit your fingerprints to the FBI, AND subject yourself to a standard FBI background check (far deeper than the point of sale instant background check done at gun stores). In other words, fully automatic AK-47s and M-16s are not submitted to the BATF because it is already known that they did not come from U.S. gun stores.
Watch carefully when you see segments on television about the Mexican "gun problem." More often than not the guns they show while running these pieces will be fully automatic rifles. I challenge you to find one in an American gun store and buy it. I challenge you to find one at a gun show in the United States and acquire it. Chances are, you will not be able to find it and without patience and the blessing of your local sheriff you certainly will not be able to purchase it.
If you've read this far then perhaps I have touched on something that nags you. Why would someone misrepresent the number of guns confiscated in Mexico? The number, without critical analysis, is definitely alarming and it galvanizes anti-gun sentiment. It is nothing but a tool to advance an agenda to undermine and belittle the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. There are Senators and Representatives in Congress who yearn for the day when Americans are completely disarmed.
Again, you may be asking yourself: Why? For an answer to that I direct your attention to the events that have unfolded in Iran over the last two weeks. Did you know that Iran has severe gun control laws? In Iran, the general population cannot own firearms. That means firearms are in the hands of the police, the military and the Basij (the militia that answers to the Revolutionary Guard). We have all seen the horrific video of Neda Soltan dying in the streets, gunned down by the Basij for doing what? For voicing her opinion and protesting a corrupt government that represses its population with oppressive laws and brute force.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are unable to stand up to baton-wielding government agents on motorcycles and armed militias. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the point of this entire letter. Do you think that the oppressive government of Iran could exist if its population was armed? Imagine hundreds of thousands of angry Iranian protesters marching around Tehran armed. Do you think they would be beaten and forced to retreat? Do you think they would be dragged from their homes in the middle of the night and arrested, probably never to be seen again? Do you think the Ayatollah and the Revolutionary Guard could continue their abusive reign? Of course you don't.
If there is anything to be learned from the events in Iran for Americans it is this reminder from the founders of our great country: An armed population is full of citizens and an unarmed population is full of slaves. Gun control is not about guns my fellow Americans, it is about control. Do not be fooled by those who would tell you otherwise.
Arthur Olson Antioch