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MPS Y2K Gun Safety Rally in the Missouri Capitol Rotunda - March 15 2000KEYNOTE ADDRESS
by Dr. Michael GordinierProfessor of Economics Washington University - St. Louis
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Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to be able to speak to you today. I'd like to tell you a story about my first visit to a gun shop in 1994. I can clearly recall the day I decided to purchase my first gun. It took me 10 minutes to get my courage worked up before I got out of my car. I remember feeling much like a Southern Baptist might feel if he entered an adult bookstore: "This is a strange and sinful place. Shame on me!" Such was the extent of my brainwashing then ... and, I think, the essence of our problem today. Because today, many in America feel like I did in 1994. In an increasingly urban society, firearms aren't as common as they were in our more rural past. Today, the only time city people see firearms is when they are purposefully linked to crime on TV. The media portrays gun owners as shadowy members of a Secret Society, clannish outsiders with a threatening culture that is based upon Extremism, Racism and a fear of Black Helicopters. We're simply not perceived as mainstream normal anymore. And over time we've been successfully marginalized and demonized by our opponents. No wonder some believe that we are losing the war for the hearts and minds of non gun owning Americans. We defend ourselves by appealing to the Constitution and to the words of the Founding Fathers. But this means little to Soccer Moms who have been emotionally conditioned to believe that our "precious hobby" is killing their children and that we simply don't give a damn. Our opponents believe firearms have absolutely no positive social value. Their bottom-line Belief System is: If you like guns, you can�t possible care about kids. They believe that they are morally superior to gun owners and they will stop at nothing to eradicate this evil from the face of the Earth. But this is where we can demonstrate that our critics are dead wrong. Today�s Key Message Is: Guns Save Lives / Gun Control Kills
6,849 potential crime victims are saved, per day, by the legal use of firearms
That�s 2.5 million lives spared per year
Guns save 60 times more lives than are lost due to criminal activity I hope you heard that. Guns are a positive Social Benefit and no amount of Soccer Mom whining and bad accounting on their part can change the facts! Think about it. What�s so "moral" or "civilized" about a group of people who support policies that would condemn 2.5 million innocent victims to certain death at the hands of vicious criminals? Friends, our critics have no monopoly on caring. For kids. For anybody. With all due respect, our opponents know nothing about guns and as a result they certainly don�t know a thing about real gun safety. If fact we can make that case that gun owners care MORE about kids than they do, because for years we have not just talked gun safety, but we�ve actually done something about it. We own firearms and we know about gun safety. We don�t push the latest gun ban and try to pass it off as "safety". Everywhere gun prohibitions have been put into effect, from Washington, DC to New York City, crime has increased and children�s safety has decreased. The failed policies of Handgun Control, Inc. and Missourians Against Handgun Violence have no place in Missouri. We teach real safety every year. We volunteer our time providing vital safety training for adults throughout the State of Missouri And because of all our efforts, today, firearm accidents are at an historical low. We train people not because a bureaucrat told us to but because we love our children and we know that education and training them in the proper and responsible use of firearms is the only proven and prudent course of action that works. But does this training and education impress our critics? Do our demonstrated successes get Soccer Moms lining up to thank us for making our communities safer? Of course not. Because deep-down, the bigots in the anti-freedom movement don�t really care about Safety. Their agenda isn�t Safety � they won�t rest until firearms are licensed, registered, confiscated and then banished from the face of the Earth. That�s the real agenda that most rank and file Soccer Moms may not even know about. Being ignorant about firearms, they don�t know the real facts and their evil leaders exploit this ignorance by telling them that Guns cause Crime. The Thought Police conveniently forget to tell their unthinking helpers that from 1965 to 1995, when firearm ownership increased by 188% (80M to 230M), firearm accidents declined 42%. Guns cause crime? Mine don�t and neither do yours. Yet on they march, believing like Carrie Nation that they are doing God�s work, combating the forces of Evil and making the World a better place for their kids. They are also told Half-Truths by their Evil Leaders, such as:
each year with firearms.
The half-truth is the implication that all these victims are "innocent victims" when in fact, the overwhelming majority of those killed were actually engaged in illegal criminal activities. The non-thinking Soccer Moms are told that in the face of this "carnage of the innocents", gun owners continue to resist all attempts at reasonable gun control. They say we�d rather let their children die than reform our hideous hobby. Well, I�m tired of being blamed for accidents and crime in America. I�m tired of being a member of one of the most hated minority groups in America. And I�m tired of being ashamed about being a gun owner. I believe that it�s time to go on the offensive and tell these misguided Soccer Moms the Truth about their bigoted leaders and their extremist agenda. I believe it�s time to tell the Soccer Moms that they are being played for fools, foot-soldiers for a morally corrupt, anti-freedom movement that threatens the very foundation of this Republic. What should we call our opponents? During the Russian Revolution, you may remember that Lenin had the equivalent of our Soccer Moms helping him "do his good work liberating the masses from the evil Czar". He, and they, then went on to enslave that Nation and set in motion a firestorm of genocide that exterminated an estimated 20 million souls. He called his helpers "useful idiots". So will I. Strong words? You bet. But justified. Justified because I believe that today�s misguided Soccer Moms are helping to play a similar role aimed at the destruction of our Society and its Culture. These non-thinking, emotion-driven people are being used as dupes by a small group of anti-freedom zealots that seek nothing less than the annihilation of our Constitutional rights. And by any means necessary, Truth and Facts be damned. Let�s take a moment to analyze the Grand Strategy of their morally corrupt leaders: (1) Exaggerate and misrepresent the crime problem. (2) Stereotype Gun Owners as Evil, non-caring Demons.
First of all, they exaggerate and misrepresent the crime problem with the Big Lie technique: "More than 700 innocent victims die per year in Missouri" WRONG � WRONG � WRONG! Figures from the State of Missouri Health Department indicate that the number of children under the age of 15 that die per year from firearm accidents is approximately 4 per year (average of 1995 � 1997 data). You heard me right, I said "4". Please note that I�m not suggesting that 4 kids is an acceptable loss. We won�t rest until accidents are driven to zero! However, what I am suggesting is that our agenda-driven, extremist opponents are deliberately misrepresenting the facts to gain the support of the useful idiots. You know how they get their 700 number? It�s easy. They add together all shootings including drug deals gone bad, robberies terminated by the police, and a host of other illegal activities. Folks, these aren�t "accidents", these aren�t "innocents", and these aren�t "children". These figures overwhelmingly represent nothing more than deviant criminal behavior which is then sold - lock, stock and barrel - as the "death of the innocents" to the non-questioning useful idiots. Unfortunately, we now live in an age where Style triumphs over Substance. Where Feelings are more important than Thinking and Facts. Today you�ll see a pile of more than 700 shoes at their anti-freedom rally meant to represent the "innocent victims of firearms". You�ll also see children, dressed in Black, exploited for this second-rate propaganda piece. But while this emotional display may make for good TV, distortions and half-truths make for flawed public policy. How dare they put the shoes of the few real innocent victims of crime next to those of gang bangers and other criminal scum! Have they no shame? How dare they wallow in the blood of innocent victims to further their sick agenda! Shame on their evil leaders who know better. Shame on the useful idiots that carry their water. And shame on the parents that raise their little "sign carrying" children to grow up to become un-thinking bigots! Gun prejudice is just like racial prejudice. Isn�t prejudice a hate crime? They also stereotype gun owners as evil, non-caring demons. Once again, the masters of the Big Lie claim: They care about children and gun owners don�t. That to be Pro-Gun means you are Anti-Child. That guns cause accidents and crime. For too long, we�ve allowed the anti-freedom crowd to claim that they have a virtual monopoly on caring for children. No feel-good legislation or any of their other half measures has ever saved a life. Not one. How dare these liars and deceivers claim the moral high ground! As we�ve already mentioned, the simple truth is that gun owners are the only group that has ever done anything to successfully reduce gun related accidents. Period. End of story. Our approach has been to educate kids about guns. It works. Since 1988, over 12 million kids have been educated about firearms via the Eddie Eagle program in classrooms, summer camps and day care centers all across this Nation. In 1996, the program was awarded the National Safety Council�s "Award of Merit" for Outstanding Community Service. In addition, it�s been publicly recognized by State Governors, Police Officials and School Administrators are being one of the most effective programs in existence. In May 1998, HCR 10, the Eddie Eagle resolution, was passed by the Missouri General Assembly in May 1998, has not yet been implemented in Missouri schools. Why? Why can�t we get this vital piece of safety information into our schools? Because groups like Missourians Against Handgun Violence have continuously fought against allowing this vital safety program into our schools. Missourians Against Handgun Violence appears to value their political agenda more than the lives of our children. I wonder how many kids lives would have been saved if these agenda-driven extremists hadn�t prevented the implementation of this valuable and time tested educational program? Folks, our opponents aren�t morally superior people. They are extremists that like to wallow in the blood of children they could have saved all the while proclaiming that we don�t care. What hypocrites! By ignoring programs that work, they demonstrate that they are more than willing to let children die on an altar of Political Correctness than to admit that gun education works. Remember, this is the same crowd that says that Sex / Drug education is the best way to prevent tragedies. They say that Knowledge is Power and that only through education can our young people make better, more informed life decisions. So, let me get this straight. Sex and Drug education are good. But Gun education is bad? More agenda-driven hypocrisy! Today, we are here to let our elected representatives know that we have had enough of their anti-safety rhetoric. We simply cannot allow this misguided group to stand in the way of getting a real safety program into our schools. We therefore request that the legislature put a bill on the Governor�s desk, this year, requiring that this award winning program be taught in every primary, middle and secondary school in the State of Missouri. In addition, we all know how expensive it can be to buy good quality safe storage devices for our firearms, especially for those in our poorer communities who are not as well off as others. These folks deserve the ability to buy quality safe storage devices without having to sacrifice a week�s worth of groceries. Therefore, we are also requesting our legislature put a bill on the governor's desk, this year, providing a tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of safe storage devices by Missouri gun owners effective immediately upon passage. As the final part of their Grand Strategy, the Thought Police like to blame inanimate objects as the cause of Crime and Accidents. "If only these objects of evil were banned", they whimper, "we�d be living in the Garden of Eden once again"! Man, I�d like to smoke whatever they are smoking! Folks, this is nearly the 21st Century. Isn�t it time for civilized people to start laughing at irrational, superstitious fools that blame inanimate objects for the pathological behavior of criminals? Isn�t it a sign of mental illness to believe that Evil Spirits inhabit metal objects and that to touch one will cause you to kill somebody? Intelligent, informed people know that guns are mere objects that are neither good nor bad in themselves. Good people do good things with firearms � and bad people do bad things with them. Hello! - guns don�t need controlling. The evil in the hearts of criminals needs controlling. It bears repeating: from 1965 to 1995, accidental firearm deaths declined 42% while the number of firearms in America increased by 188%. Guns cause crime? If guns cause crime, mine must be defective! Another sign of mental illness exhibited by our opponents is that they believe that while gun objects are full of "badness", other objects can be full of "goodness". Case in point � trigger locks. After the recent shooting in Michigan by a 6 year old boy, the President chided Congress for not taking action to force citizens to use trigger locks. Hmmmm �.. I wonder if this initiative can help us determine what the President�s true priorities are? Let�s see. It didn�t bother him that the boy�s father was in jail. It didn�t bother him that his drug-addicted mother abandoned the kid in a crack house filled with stolen guns. No, by emphasizing trigger locks as a solution to this incident, here�s what the First Felon was really telling America: "Every kid deserves to grow up in a gun-free crack house!" and "I believe that criminals that deal crack cocaine will use trigger locks if we pass a law". To seriously suggest that this is how criminals will respond to a trigger lock law indicates such a flawed understanding of the criminal mind that it calls into question the President�s professional competence as a crime fighter. His politically motivated support for trigger locks and his "crocodile tears of love for children" speaks volumes about his true priorities. Mr. President, guns don�t need locks. Criminals need to be locked up! Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you: did you cause this problem in Michigan? Unfortunately, the Soccer Moms think you did. And you know, I�m getting damned tired of being called "The Problem". The time has come for us to stand united and tell the useful idiots and their small anti-freedom leadership that we simply aren�t going to take this abuse any longer. Want to know who is really at fault? Where the real negligence lies? Since it�s inception, the National Instant Check System (NICS) claims to have prevented 100,000 people from getting a gun. And how many of these criminals did the government prosecute? Answer - 0.2% In fact, Department of Justice figures show that from FY1992 � FY1998, there was a 46% decrease in federal criminal firearm prosecutions. That�s called dereliction of duty, folks. Government officials like to crow that the Brady Law has denied 470,000 people (72% of which were known felons!) from getting a gun. And how many of these felons have been prosecuted? � less than 100. That�s called negligence, folks. Meanwhile, in the same time frame, the Department of Justice�s budget rose from $10.49B to $19.88B, a 90.4% increase! Soccer Moms - we aren�t the problem. Your Politically Correct, negligent pals in the government are. The victim disarmament specialists in this country and their fellow travelers in the media have succeeded in focussing America�s attention away from the real problem - crime control. While their useful idiots whine about guns, effective safety and crime reduction solutions gather dust. You want real progress? Then help us work for real criminal control measures. Why don�t you try attacking the problem at it source instead of blaming millions of law-abiding citizens and then feeling good about yourselves because you�ve "done something". Law abiding gun owners are not the problem. Our firearms are not the problem. We don�t have a gun problem, folks. We have a culture problem. The gun culture is based upon personal responsibility and education. It works. The society that our opponents have created doesn�t. As syndicated columnist Charlie Reese puts it, what the liberals are really trying to do with the gun ploy is avoid facing the truth that the Violent and Brutish society that they are complaining about today is precisely the society that they have been trying to create for the last 40 years! You reap what you sow. Shame on them for trying to blame us for their misguided treachery and failures! Today, I call upon all of the well intentioned yet misguided people that oppose us to recognize that they are being used by a small group of anti-freedom extremists to further an agenda that "feels good" but will, in reality, mean the destruction of a once Free and Proud Nation. Please, join with us so that we can work together in ways that are known to work. Ways that work without destroying our Precious Freedoms. We welcome your help. But a word of warning. If you continue to claim that pro-firearm beliefs make us unfit parents, then you�ve made this fight personal. When you deceive little children by telling them that firearms education and training is Death, you�ve made this fight personal. When you ignore real experience and real data in favor of "feel good" legislation that will have the unintended consequence of getting one or more of my precious children killed, you�ve made this fight personal. Your constant attacks have awakened a Sleeping Giant � and we�re not going to take it any more. In summary, my friends, let me leave you with this emotional and visual "sound bite". Later today, when you see our opponents and their pile of shoes and boots, remember the words to the Nancy Sinatra song � "These Boots Are Made For Walking": "These boots are made for walking �. and that�s just what they�ll do;
Folks, that day of boots walking over us is TODAY. And to prove it, here�s a pair of shoes from their pile. And this is what their boots are walking over: * The Truth * The Bill Of Rights In closing, my friends Be Proud & Be Loud. Refuse to be abused. Come out of the closet and publicly reclaim your proud firearms heritage. Spread the Truth:
Let people know that the anti-freedom bigots have no monopoly on caring about children. Because there's more at stake here than guns. What's at stake is literally what it means to be a Free People. Our Rights are not what�s wrong with Missouri! Thank You. March 15 2000 Jefferson City Missouri
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