Once it is understood that gun control does not reduce crime, accidents, or suicide, it is easier to accept the philosophical core of the gun rights movement which states that even if gun control laws actually did reduce crime, they would still not be justified and should be opposed. Defense of oneself and ones family is a sacred right and it may not be discarded in the name of crime control. If rights could be so easily dismissed, then we know we could dramatically reduce crime tomorrow by simply ignoring Constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure and doing away with habeas corpus, and due process. But no amount of crime reduction can justify revoking fundamental rights.

Every gun owner needs to clearly understand these truths and effectively share them with everyone they know or we will continue to see our rights gradually but inevitably turned into privileges.

Jeff Knox
October 10, 2007
Back to Basics
[There is another philosophical principle in his post that important to understand too. A license to carry a concealed weapon converts a right into a privilege and we need to consider the recent progress we have made in concealed carry laws as merely a step on a muddy path. The path may have been the best and perhaps only way to get where we wanted to be but we did get soiled by walking in the mud. We must quickly traverse this path before the mud turns to concrete around our feet.–Joe]