Constable ignores statistics on guns
This is in response to Burt Constable's July 15th Column entitled "A gun almost always turns a suicide attempt into suicide."
It's quite apparent from Burt's previous columns that he would like our Second Amendment right to own a handgun in our homes to protect ourselves revoked.
In his latest anti-hand gun column, he uses quotes from Physicians for Social Responsibility, the American Journal of Public health, the Harvard School of Public Health, and a Harvard epidemiologist to support his case of the part hand guns play in suicide.
First, who are these people that qualify them to speak on the Second Amendment?
Perhaps one of these "experts" will be there when Burt's home is invaded and his family put at peril, and hit the offender over the head with one of their journals, thus stopping the crime.
It's a fact that states with more gun control have significantly higher rates of violent crime than those without.
A prime example is Washington, D.C., where the crime rates are higher than anyplace in the country.
Thank goodness the Supreme Court saw fit to side with a person's right to protect himself in his home in a recent decision (by the alarmingly low margin of 5-4).
States that allow conceal and carry laws and have less gun control have far lower levels of violent crime.
Suicide is a very sad part of our society and should certainly be addressed, but matched against the ability to protect myself when the police in most cases cannot respond in time, suicide with hand guns is much less of an issue.
Burt, if you don't want a handgun in your house, fine, but don't tell me I can't have the right to protect myself. Don't hide your anti-gun sentiments behind the issue of suicide.
If someone decides they want to break into my house, I'll pick up the phone and dial 911, then promptly drop the phone, pick up my handgun and shoot the offender instead of waiting for police response.
I may have to fight the results in court, but at least I will be alive to do it.
Paul Robinson
Hanover Park