Ummm, according to the CDC, out of the 30,000 (approx) gun related deaths in 2004, 18,000 were suicides. Of the 12,000 homicides, it doesn't break down justified vs. murder.

In other words, Josh Sugarman is a lying bigot.

Last time I checked, over 10 years ago, there were approximately 18 thousand murders annually, far from all of those being committed with firearms (there are a lot of different ways to kill a person). That would make something like 10 to 12 thousand murders that were done using a firearm, and we're told that the murder rate has been on a general decline since then. Is Sugarman saying there are thousands and thousands of unreported murders?

But I'd like the antis to explain exactly how the crime rates should affect a right for law abiding citizens, rather than result in punishment of the perpetrators alone. For instance; should the number of fraud and liable cases become a springboard for legal restrictions against running a newspaper or owning a printer or web site? I.E., if your neighbor commits a crime, why should YOU be punished? Even if you sold him a hammer and he ended up killing someone with said hammer, how is that your fault? Oh, but removing hammers from the face of the Earth will make bad people good, right?

No. Your rights do not ebb and flow with the crime rates (I heard that somewhere else and I wish I could give credit for it. Anyone?).

News flash. I just figured out that the Old Testament has been wrong this whole time and no one figured it out why until now: Kane could not possibly have killed Able, as there were no firearms available. Right, Josh Sugarmann?