Gun Control: Perspective of a Retired Peace Officer

My Name is Larry Renner I’m a licensed and certified firearm instructor, an avid shooter and competitor. I’m totally vested in our 2A rights and feel that there are very few “reasonable” restrictions that should apply.

With the awful tragedies in Newtown Ct. fresh in our minds, the shooting of Firefighters by a convicted felon (prohibited from having guns) in New York and the Aurora, Colorado movie shootings, the question begs: “Why not ban high capacity magazines and “Assault Weapons?” With such high profile shootings bombarding us weekly, it seems to be a no brainier to ban what the U.N. actually calls our weapons of mass destruction (small arms).

Here’s a reality check for those calling on gun bans, they are an epic fail. Gun Control doesn’t work any better to reduce violent crime than the war on drugs has stemmed the flow of illegal drugs. If simple gun control worked, Mexico and Great Britain should be paradise, but they are not. We all know Mexican nationals are being slaughtered by cartels using prohibited firearms and Great Britain has been referred to as the most violent european country. How could this be? Both countries have a virtual ban on all firearms.

The U.S. has an approximately 25,000 gun laws, local, state and federal. Next to nuclear materials guns are probably the next most heavily regulated industry.

Another law is NOT going to solve anything. In fact, not a single law has ever prevented a crime. Law enforcement is an “after the fact” reactionary force. They take reports, conduct investigations, arrest suspects and help get a convictions. All after the incident has taken place and injuries inflicted. The police rely on us to practice “crime prevention”. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away…..it may sound flip, but it is true.

I mean no disrespect to my brothers and sisters in law enforcement, I’m only pointing out the obvious. I’m a retired peace officer and responded only after the fact myself.

California has had a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines since 1989 and it’s had little to no impact on violent gun crime. It’s not the guns, it’s the people. The Clinton era AWB (assault weapon ban) affected only a small percentage of the guns actually used in violent crime. So called assault weapons were used in less than one (1) percent of violent crimes. So that meant the ninety nine (99) percent of the guns used in crime weren’t even affected.

By the way, guns are only the ninth leading cause of death to Americans. Tobacco, “medical mis-adventures”, cars, heart diease and people with weapons other than firearms kill more than people with firearms.

Nobody calls for more “car control” or a ban on semi-automatic transmissions that help drunk drivers.  Nobody cries out for more medical oversight, or further prohibiting tobacco abuse. So why target guns?  It’s simple – people tend to be afraid of and avoid things/situations where they lack familiarity.  It is a simple measure of stepping beyond a normal comfort zone.  To those who lack familiarity, guns may be seen as scary and dangerous.  When you first learned to drive, wasn’t this too a little scary or at least anxiety provoking?  Of course it was. 

It is this lack of familiarity that the ALL POWERUL government advocates look to exploit.  Our Founders wanted us to have the tools to resist the natural tyrannical tendency of government. Unarmed citizens are merely subjects of those running our government while armed people are Citizens.

Ironically, the same “all powerful” government advocates, who seek to disarm law abiding gun owners, are themselves protected by agents with guns. These same people who seek to disarm us, are the same people who are releasing criminals from well deserved prison sentences.  The irony is beyond bewilderment. 
 
Ultimately, dealing with objects is easier than dealing with the real problems of society. The Second Amendment is in place to protect the other rights. Even if you’re not a “gun person” you need to be informed of the repercussions of firearm registration schemes.

Without exception since the time of the Roman Empire to present, registration has always lead to confiscation. Without the means to resist, it’s estimated that 170 million people were exterminated by their own governments in the 20th century. It can happen here just as it is happening all over the world TODAY. 

We seem to be frogs in a pot of water and they are turning up the heat. A chip here, a chip there and soon the cornerstone(s) of our American freedoms are gone.
Ignorance and apathy along with denial are sinking our country. No more gun control. Demand your legislators address the real issues of violence.

Sixty eight million gun owners did nothing violent today. I fail to see or accept the premise that disarming law abiding people will reduce violent outbursts.

Guns are used an estimated two million times annually to prevent violent crimes or assaults. You will rarely read about this. Most are not reported and those that are…well they don’t serve to assist the efforts to disarm us.

On a final note, according to the FBI, baseball bats are the leading weapon used in non-firearm violence, yet there are no cries for “bat” control or registration or having all bats stored locked in a vault at an approved baseball club.