A naive writer is advocating gun control in the student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania. My responses:
In the comments:
Just one question, “Can you demonstrate just one time, one place, throughout all of human history, where restricting the access of handheld weapons to the average person made them safer?” If no, which I’m certain is the result, then I have to question your motivation for advocating restrictions on personal defensive tools.
Joe Huffman
E-mail: dailypenn@joehuffman.org
Occupation: Software Engineer
Location: Redmond Washington
Via email:
To the Editor: Just one question on gun control
Regarding “Rachel Truchil: Gun control will stem homicide uptick”
Restrictions on firearms is an appealing approach to violent crime but you have to ask yourself just one question, “Can you demonstrate just one time, one place, throughout all of human history, where restricting the access of handheld weapons to the average person made them safer?” The answer is no. With all of the gun control laws throughout history it cannot be conclusively demonstrated even one has made the average person in that political jurisdiction safer.
With that result you must realize that restrictions on weapons means you are preventing innocent, law abiding, people from obtaining the means to defend themselves from violent predators. I’m certain this is not the intended results. Please reconsider your calls for gun control. You are only creating a safer environment for the people that will obtain illegal guns as quickly and easily as people currently find access to illegal recreational drugs.
See https://blog.joehuffman.org/2004/12/14/just-one-question/ for more details.
Joe Huffman
Voice: 208-301-4254
University of Idaho ’77
University of Washington ’85
Senior Software Engineer
Every time, everyplace someone advocates gun control we must show their audience the folly of their ways. We must legally exterminate this threat to human safety.
Update: I just sent an email to P-I columnist Robert L. Jamieson Jr. about his editorial here asking Just One Question.
Update2: I just sent an email to Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur about her opinion here asking Just One Question.