Everyday carry (EDC) is all about being ready for whatever the day might bring.
But I’ll have to say; most people don’t take their EDC far enough or serious enough. All it is for them is the things they carry in their pockets. What I mean is that they really haven’t made sure they have whatever they are likely to need in case something goes wrong; they just have the things they are likely to need.
Granted, carrying your wallet, keys a folding knife and a flashlight are all useful. But that’s not enough. That might help you out with your day-to-day activities; but how much will it help you out if there’s an earthquake and you’re having trouble getting home?
To me, an EDC has to cover any likely catastrophe that’s likely to come into your life, such as whatever type of natural disaster your area is known for. If you live in the north, you need to be ready for a blizzard. If you live in California, you need to be ready for an earthquake. If you life in the Midwest, you need to be ready for a tornado. It all depends on what you’re likely to encounter.
This clearly means carrying more than you can fit in your pockets.
It means having some sort of EDC bag as well. I keep one in the trunk of each of my cars, along with a trauma first-aid kit, jumper cables and other emergency gear for both me and the car.
But I also put more practical things in my EDC bag; things that will help me with day-to-day tasks, which aren’t associated with an emergency. Who doesn’t need stamps, a pair of scissors or a rain poncho every once in a while? Keeping these in my EDC ensures I have them with me, just like the high-energy food bars, fire starters and emergency blankets.
My EDC bag itself has enough survival gear that I can use it to get me home in the case of a disaster that shuts down the roads, as well as using the paperclips and stamps for more mundane uses. The key thinking behind this is that I really don’t separate my survival life and my day-to-day life. As far as I’m concerned, being ready for one, means being ready for the other as well.
But Guns?
Some might ask where guns fit into that mix. I suppose that’s a legitimate question, especially for those who don’t already carry a firearm as part of their EDC. I can’t blame these people for their viewpoint, as many of them have never thought it through from the same viewpoint I have. For that matter, that sort of question is most likely to come from someone who doesn’t have a gun.
I have to say that we are a little too quick to dismiss the concerns of these people. While it can be fairly argued that their fears are often based on ignorance, that doesn’t eliminate the fear. Since fear is always irrational, someone having a fear of guns, is not really any different than having a fear of spiders, snakes or rats.
The good news is that those fears can sometimes be eliminated by educating the person who has the fear. I have done that with left-leaning family members who are anti-gun, when they tried to say that it was wrong for me to carry. In each case, I was able to overcome their fears and show them where it was to their benefit for me to be carrying.
Let’s start with the big statistic. According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics[1], there is an 83% lifetime chance of being victimized in a violent crime, sometime in your life. While the chances of being victimized for any particular crime during one year are extremely low, this number can’t be ignored.
Here’s where people make the mistake, in looking at annual rates. Take rape for example. According to the same report, 16 out of every 10,000 women are raped in any given year. That makes it only a 0.16% chance that any one woman will get raped in that year. While that is still too much, it’s a number low enough that it can be easily ignored. Even the lifetime likelihood of a woman being raped is only 8%[2], still not a huge number. That still leaves the odds in most women’s favor, as it works out to 1 in 12.5 women being raped sometime in her life.
But 83% means that more than 4 out of 5 people will be victimized sometime in their life. If society as a whole is so concerned about the 1 in 12.5 women who get raped, shouldn’t we also be concerned about the 4 in 5 people who are victimized in some other crime?
Personally, I have been involved in five violent crimes; two in which I was the intended victim and three in which I aided someone else who was being victimized. In two of those cases (1 of each) my being armed with a pistol was the deciding factor. In the other incident being perpetrated against me, the weapon I used was a sword (I was in costume). But in one of the other cases where I tried to help someone else, I was unable to help the victim (a woman), because I was unarmed and the other man was bigger and stronger than me. The last case didn’t involve any weapons, as enough men converged on the scene to make the potential attacker realize the need for caution.
While this is merely anecdotal information, what I can derive from my own experience is that being armed or unarmed made a difference in 80% of these potential violent crimes. That’s significant. If anyone asks me why I carry, this is my reason. I don’t want to be the next victim; nor do I want my family members to be.
A Social Responsibility
Although not everyone sees it this way, I see carrying a pistol as a social responsibility.
There is nothing wrong with carrying a pistol for self-defense or defense of your family. Concealed carry laws don’t give you any responsibility to protect others. Not only that, but I have to say that protecting others can be dangerous. Not only there is the risk of getting hurt by putting yourself into a violent situation, but there is also the risk that you will shoot the wrong person and go to jail for it.
Many experts recommend that even if you do carry, don’t use your gun to help others. The risks are too high.
They are especially high if you enter into a domestic or family dispute of any sort. There is absolutely no way of determining who is the good guy and who is the bad guy in such a situation; mostly because there isn’t a “bad guy” in the sense of a criminal. But even in a criminal situation, the person you may think is the aggressor could very well be someone else who carries concealed and is trying to defend themselves.
Obviously there is a lot of this that has to do with how much you know about the situation that is unfolding in front of you. Walking into an ongoing situation is always worse than seeing it from its beginning. But even if you see it from the beginning, there is always a chance of misinterpreting what is happening and what part the various players have in the situation.
Having said that, I still see carrying a pistol as meaning that everywhere I go, the people there are protected, as long as I am there. The very act of being prepared to protect myself and my family, also means that I am protecting others who are in that same environment. If I’m in the bank, a store or a restaurant and someone tries to rob it, protecting myself protects others as well.
This is the argument that I have used to win over my non-gun-owning family members, who couldn’t understand why I carry. None of them had ever been presented with the idea that carrying a pistol could help society at large. They had only heard what it is said in the liberal echo chamber, which doesn’t have any understanding of using a firearm for self-defense.
It’s Your Decision
Let me say that nobody should ever force another to carry a firearm for self-protection.
I have worked to convince others of the value of it; but the decision was always theirs. I don’t want to see people carrying on our streets who are not psychologically able to handle the responsibility. Shooting another person, even in self-defense, is not something one gets over lightly.
On the other hand, if you’re serious about taking care of yourself and your family, then carrying concealed should become part of your EDC. As we’ve seen, the chances of needing to protect yourself or a family member from violent crime as too high to ignore; much higher than many of the disasters we regularly prepare for. With that in mind, why wouldn’t you carry?
Resources
[1] www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/llv.pdf
[2] Statistics for black women are higher, at 11%, than for white women who are at 8%. No other ethnic groups are mentioned in the report.
Breck Cogdill | February 5, 2019
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Enjoyed the article, think it has a lot of good info, but the picture used in the header needs to be replaced with one showing someone not about to shoot themselves in the butt. Finger on the trigger! (Not trying to be snarky, but . . . . c’mon!)
Sabina from Survivopedia | February 5, 2019
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Hello, Breck,
Thanks a lot for your input and nice words. We are happy that you liked our article. And you are right about the picture. So we changed it 🙂 Hope now is ok.
Have a nice day,
Sabina from Survivopedia
Louis Irvin, Master Gunnery Seageant, USMC, Ret. | February 5, 2019
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My comment is on the inability of someone with my experience to obtain a concealed carry license in San Diego County, California. The sheriff of this county, Bill Gore, has steadfastly refused to issue more than a very few. I am a retired Marine with 23 years on active duty. I began my association with firearms in 1963. I learned and became an expert shot with both pistols and rifles. I was a member of every shooting team in the units I was a member of until I retired in 1985. I was a member of the Marine Corps Shooting steam located st the Marksman Training Unit, Quantico, VA. I won or placed in matches over the years to include a Bronze medal at the National Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. I was a member of the”Presidents Hundred the same year. That is the hundred best pistol shooters in the championships, typically several thousand of the top competitors in the US, after retiring I continued my relationship with the NRA. I am an Endowment Life Member, an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor , and an NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer.. I feel I’m uniquely qualified to have a concealed carry license.
Armin | February 5, 2019
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As stupid as it sounds, Bill, I think the bottom line to answer your question is that because so many other people are carrying concealed in the US that to maintain the status quo so many OTHER people feel the need to carry concealed. But this applies mainly to the United States. It’s basically like the wild west all over again. Up here in Canada it’s virtually impossible to get a licence to own a handgun. It’s fairly easy to get a licence for a long gun but you need a VERY good reason to want a handgun and then they probably make you jump through endless hoops to get one. I don’t need the aggravation and up here in the GWN very few, other than law enforcement, own handguns so for us it’s a non issue. And again the criminals seem to have no problems acquiring handguns. If used in a crime, the penalties for having a handgun are EXTREMELY punitive. Even the police have to justify using their handguns in the enforcement of the law. It’s not like they can just take that gun out of their holster at the slightest whim. The use of handguns is taken VERY seriously up here in Canada. And another country where the ownership of handguns is taken very seriously is Great Britain. I think, as a rule, the ordinary “Bobby” does not carry a handgun and they seem to be doing quite well in GB. I also think that everyone carrying concealed does NOT make for a safer society. Rather the opposite. It cultivates fear and paranoia. If you look at the stats, which country has the most murders committed with handguns? I would tend to think it’s yours. Which country has the largest prison population? Again, America. The home of the brave and free. Most don’t seem to know what to properly do with all this freedom.
Jay R | February 5, 2019
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Armin: Please cit me one example of two concealed carry persons “shooting it out”. It is virtually impossible to get a concealed carry license in cities like Chicago and LA. Do you think that restriction makes a difference? It is certainly not the concealed carry folks who are the problem in the US.when it comes to gun murders. Look to the inner cities and the gang bangers. A few facts to consider, not speculation and emotion. The US is 31st in the world in gun related deaths. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/10/06/555861898/gun-violence-how-the-u-s-compares-to-other-countries. There are more gun related suicides.than murders. https://www.vox.com/2015/10/1/18000510/gun-suicide-homicide-comparison. Why do you think violent crime in the US is near a 30 year low and not so in most other countries? Criminals must be very careful who they attack in the US. There are lots of reasons for our prisoner population. Concealed carry is not one of them.. https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/28/us/mass-incarceration-five-key-facts/index.html. When you come to live in the US you may fairly comment on concealed carry.. Until then you do not have the choice and that is what it is a choice.still protected by the constitution in most states that are not run by leftist gun banners like your politicians in Canada..
Armin | February 6, 2019
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Point taken, Jay. I appreciate your input. Up here we don’t think of inner city problems and gang-bangers because they don’t exist for us. Just one last point I’d like to make, Jay, and that is that they don’t ban guns up here just handguns. I don’t understand the mindset and the need for the general public to own handguns. It’s perfectly legal for Canadians to own long guns for hunting and to me that should be the prime reason for someone to own a gun. If a person wishes to own a hand gun then along with ownership should also go proper training in the use and maintenance of that tool. And that’s how a gun should be looked at. A tool to be used in the proper manner.
Pam Magnuson | February 5, 2019
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I grew up in Colorado and then, in the 1940’s, having and useing a gun was as normal as having a butcher knife in the kitchen. There are dangers other than violent people that a gun, used by a person who is a good shot clan save a life. When I was eight, our family was spending the day down by the river. I was wearing only a bathing suit. Suddenly my Grandfather yelled, “Pam, don’t move!” I froze, and then realized a rattle snake was only a foot away, coiled and ready to strike. LMy Grandfather shot the snake, and I was safe. I don’t know what the anti-gun people would have done in that situation. Talk sweetly to the snake or just ask it to go away? I’ll take guns any day. I got my first gun, a .16 gage Ithica shot gun when I was 14. Naturally, I got plenty of instruction in care, potential dangers to others, and practice, practice. I got to be a very good shot, but the day I killed more ducks than my Dad, he stopped taking me duck hunting. I was given a .22 Colt pistol when I was 16. My Dad and I would go out to the fields, at night, to hunt jack rabbits. He drove very slowly, and I rode on the front flender. When a rabbit froze in the headlights, I would make noise so it would run, then shoot. When I hit one, I had to into the field to find it, wring it’s neck to make sure it was dead (and out of pain) and bring it home to clean. We let kids drive a car at 16 (a killing machine) but want to restrict their access to guns. It doesn’t make sense to me. It’s matter of education, training, and more education. If we ban guns, then the have to ban knives, baseball bats, fireplacel pokers, and cars. But, people who want to kill will still figure out something. Let’s get back to education.
Yosemite | February 5, 2019
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Considering most people in US prisons are drug crime related….Bad Guys/convicted felons have no problems getting firearms…..Most shootings are in places with very strict firearm laws and are gangs doing drive buys and fighting over turf.
Some years ago Professor Gary Kleck at the University of Florida did a study and released the results surprising himself recently the DC did more or less the same study and similar results………
Citizens use firearms or claim to have a firearm to stop violent crime and seldom get any media attention…… Police DO NOT have to respond to 911 calls and They usually only show up AFTER things have happened…Seconds count when lies are at stake……
https://capitalresearch.org/article/why-is-the-cdc-hiding-its-defensive-gun-use-statistics/
Armin | February 6, 2019
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If what you say is true, Yosemite, then hard drugs are the real problem in the US and the American government needs to get serious about stopping the inflow of drugs into the US. On the other hand if there were no market for those drugs in the US then there wouldn’t be a drug problem in the first place. Would there.?
Dennis Sipsy | February 5, 2019
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Armin, there are two kinds of people in the world; those who crave security, and those who crave freedom. In Canada and the U.K., in exchange for the mothering of the state, you have forfeited your previous God given freedoms, essentially your true humanity, in order for your “betters” in government to make your life easy and safe.. You would rather be sheep in a pen, living and dying at the pleasure of your owner-the State You have taken the pathway of Esau in the Old Testament, and you too have sold your birth right for a cup of welfare porridge.. You wouldn’t have the ability to make this mistake if the gun totting maniacs to your immediate South hadn’t time and again, spent their blood and treasure to make sure you had a country in the first place. You can add all of Europe to that list, and many others. If all of you had to take responsibility for your own state security in the world, instead of relying on the U.S.A. tax payer to protect you, you might have a different view of whether the governments job is a socialist distribution of favors and benefits, or of a democracy’s provision for the national defense. Your nations sing longingly to be forever ruled over in your national anthems, so you will never understand a people who shout “Give me liberty, or give me death.” And until we’ve destroyed ourselves my the cancer of socialism, we will be here waiting, with our muscle, guns and treasure,to bail out the world’s butt when the next bully threatens to destroy you.
Buck | February 5, 2019
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I love western Canada, particularly B.C and the Yukon. Vancouver is just another socialists sinkhole, like most of the major US cities. I live about an hour and a half from the NW border of the US with Canada. I have traveled extensively through the Canadian west and northwest. Often, when I travel into western Canada, I bring a shotgun, which I declare at the border and pay the permit fee. The Canadian border patrol have always been very friendly and helpful. Perhaps, unlike some Canadians, they know the firearms history of Canada. They know that up until the late 19th century and early 20th century, Canadian firearms laws were not so draconian. Perhaps they know that Canada’s attempt to tighten firearms laws even more with the long gun registry has been a complete failure and financial disaster? In fact, there is one anecdotal story of a Canadian successfully registering a SOLDERING gun under the registry boondoggle! But then again, that really shouldn’t come as surprise. Unfortunately, like many other nations, Canadian liberals are either ignorant or deliberately indifferent to the fact that we, in the United States, unlike Canada, are no longer a British commonwealth. We settled that question a few years back with a little war that was called the American Revolution. And just to prove that we were serious, we did it again in 1812. After we told the monarchy to pound sand in 1776, we came up with an interesting little document called the Constitution, which has a Bill of Rights, of which, the 2nd Amendment is one of them. You see Americans don’t accept rule by monarchy or tyranny. And we hold the right to self protection as God given. The Canadian government, on the other hand, doesn’t have a problem with it’s citizens and visitors protecting themselves from wild animals, but self protection from criminals?….now there’s were the government gets squeamish. Case in point…try crossing into Canada with a pocket size canister of pepper spray. Nope…..ain’t gonna fly. The pepper spray will be seized. I know this for fact, because it’s happened to me. Now on the other hand, if you try crossing the border with a flame thrower of “bear” spray, you’re good to go. Unless, you tell them the “bear” spray is for protection against miscreants. Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Canada is considered a relatively safe country. Not because of gun control, but rather because in a country of 3.85 million square miles, there are a grand total of about 37 million folks, most of which who live in large urban areas. Now compare that statistic to the state of California, which is not considered a “safe” place. California has 164,000 square miles. And in that 164,000 square miles are 39 MILLION people! California is over 20 TIMES smaller than Canada and has a population of 3 MILLION more than Canada. And California has some of the most strict gun control laws in the United States. Yet, one need only look at the crime statistics in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, LA San Diego and every large metro area of California to see the abject failure of a state run by liberals bent on eliminating our Second Amendment.
Those that claim that the United States has one of the highest, if not the highest, murder rate in the world, are either ignorant or deliberately lying. It only takes a quick internet search to discover that the United States doesn’t even make the top 100 of annual homicide rates compared to other countries. And in the USA, the majority of homicides occur in the large urban cities, run by liberals and with strict gun control…..like Chicago! Socialists, communists, dictators and the liberal elites love to attack the freedoms of the United States. Yet they have no answer for how our relatively young nation is the strongest, most free and powerful country in the world. Nor can they explain why millions upon millions of immigrants, legal and illegal, seek our shores. Well, jealously and envy are fickle masters. Particularly for the weak minded!
Armin | February 6, 2019
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You make a lot of good points, Buck, and you seem like a good guy. One of the first things you mention is that you had no trouble bringing a SHOTGUN across the border. Registered long guns are legal in Canada. As the title of this article is about concealed carry your shotgun is a non sequitur. And I also agree that Canada’s long gun registry is a complete farce. As for the War of 1812, at that time Britain was busy fighting Napoleon so they mainly adopted a defensive strategy. American defeats at the Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Queenston Heights thwarted American attempts to seize Upper Canada. American attempts to invade Lower Canada and capture Montreal also failed. In 1813 the Americans won the Battle of Lake Erie gaining control of the lake. And at the Battle of the Thames, defeated Tecumseh’s confederacy, securing a primary war goal. A final American attempt to invade Canada was fought to a draw at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane during the summer of 1814. At sea, the powerful Royal Navy blockaded American ports, cutting off trade and allowing the British to raid the coast at will. In 1814, one of these raids burned the capital, Washington, but the Americans later repelled British attempts to invade New York and Maryland, ending invasions of the northern and mid-Atlantic United States from Canada. I totally agree with the provisions of the original 2nd amendment. But the intent of those provisions have been perverted. Was not the intent of the 2nd amendment the right of the people to carry arms as a last resort against a tyrannical government? Now you have such a large criminal element in the US that the majority of the people feel it’s their right to carry arms to protect themselves against that criminal element. That is the true creeping cancer. If you were actually such a brave and freedom loving people you would band together to root out that cancer, root and branch. Then you would have true freedom. Don’t you realize that because you feel it necessary to walk around armed that you have no true freedom. Just another form of slavery. But I also agree with that part about self protection from criminals. It seems that sometimes the criminals have far more rights than the law abiding citizens in Canada. Totally wrong and upside down. In 2016 America’s murder rate was 5.35 per 100,000 inhabitants which translates into 17,250 people that year. Puts America in 90th place. Number one, in 2016, was El Salvador at 82.84. 5,257 people murdered in El Salvador in 2016. In 2016, Canada was at 158th place, with a murder rate of 1.68. 611 people murdered in 2016. So tell me again what a violent place Canada is and that keeping hand guns out of the hands of most people doesn’t work. 611 as against 17,250. Even taking into account the 10:1 population difference that’s WAY too many people murdered in one year. What is wrong with you people down there? Are you nothing but thieves and murderers? Sometimes truth has to be presented as fiction or the powers to be will censor that information. To me, “The Newsroom” was one of the best TV shows ever. Jeff Daniels was outstanding. He managed to slip the truth through without getting shot down. Perhaps the ruling elite were poking fun at the American people. America USED to be the greatest country on earth. Not anymore. Have a look at this clip and THEN talk to me. America is in decline and it’s nothing so much as the last days of the Roman empire. Militarily VERY strong. America has the best toys. But corrupt from within and without. The fall of the American empire is imminent. It’s not a matter of if but when. Come to Canada. We still respect each other here and we don’t have to run around armed to prove it. So get off your damned soapbox and instead of spouting rhetoric or generalizations, state facts. Here’s the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q49NOyJ8fNA Please give me your feedback on it. And never, ever underestimate us Canadians. We may be very polite but we beat your asses once and we can do it again. Who saved the British butts at Vimy Ridge? We did. When no else could. NEVER underestimate Canadians! Except those damned millenials. For the most part a useless lot. LOL!
Loren Kelly | February 5, 2019
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Armin….It is not about being the Wild Wild West. My Grandfather was Canadian and I love the country and the people. However, you are wrong about U. S. citizens carrying guns as cultivating fear & paranoia. I live in Texas where guns are a way of life. I have grown up with guns and have owned one since I was ten years old. The United States is not the only country where many citizens have guns. Norway, Finland, Germany, France and Denmark, all countries with heavy gun ownership, have a history of low murder rates. According to a 2014 United Nations report, Germany’s murder rate of 0.8 killings per 100,000 inhabitants was identical to Luxembourg, where the law prohibits civilian ownership of handguns and gun ownership is rare [source: UNODOC, Kates and Mauser]. Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, but little gun-related street crime – so opponents of gun control hail it as a place where firearms play a positive role in society. Chicago, which had 781 homicides and 3,000 shooting incidents in 2016, despite Illinois’ relatively tough gun laws, is proof that gun control doesn’t work Believe me when I say that law abiding citizens carrying a concealed handgun makes for a safer society. Criminals and sick people always will be able to access guns, regardless of what laws you pass. Law abiding citizens MUST have the Second Amendment right to possess a firearm to protect themselves from criminals and a corrupt government. That is how our Constitution was set up. We know how to handle our freedom. We are the home of the Brave & Free…Just ask the multitudes of people who want to live here. Reasons I carry a concealed handgun:
1. I carry a pistol for self-defense or defense of my family. According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there is an 83% lifetime chance of being victimized in a violent crime, sometime in your life. While the chances of being victimized for any particular crime during one year are extremely low, this number can’t be ignored. 83% means that more than 4 out of 5 people will be victimized sometime in their life. The chances of needing to protect yourself or a family member from violent crime is too high to ignore; much higher than many of the disasters we regularly prepare for. If anyone asks me why I carry, this is my reason. I don’t want to be the next victim; nor do I want my family members to be.
2. It is a social responsibility. Carrying a pistol helps society at large. Carrying a pistol means that everywhere I go, the people there are protected, as long as I am there. The very act of being prepared to protect myself and my family, also means that I am protecting others who are in that same environment. If I’m in the bank, a store or a restaurant and someone tries to rob it, protecting myself protects others as well.
Armin | February 6, 2019
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Because you sound like such a reasonable and RESPONSIBLE gun owner, Loren, I actually went to the trouble of looking up the statistics. I don’t need a religious fanatic using the bible to make their case as some others have done on this page. Unfortunately I don’t know if the stats are for hand guns or long guns or both. Denmark: 650,000 firearms. 15 gun related homicides. Finland: 2.4 million firearms. 24 gun related deaths. France: 19 million guns. 25 gun related deaths. Germans seem to love their guns. 25 million. 158 gun related deaths. Norway: 1.4 million guns. 2 gun related homicides. Just for the heck of it I looked up Mexico. 15.5 million guns. 11,309 gun related homicides. So that seems to make the case for drugs being the problem not gun ownership per se. As a caveat to this I would also think that the Europeans have a completely different mindset when it comes to gun ownership as opposed to the US. And I would also think that the background checks for potential gun owners are much stricter in Europe and they have to jump through many more hoops if they want to own a gun. I agree with you completely about Switzerland but what you fail to mention is that in Switzerland military service is compulsory for both men and women and once they complete their tour of duty it is MANDATORY for them to keep their LONG GUN in their home for protection. And that’s the biggest reason gun related crimes are so low in Switzerland. These people are fully trained in the use of their guns and they are RESPONSIBLE gun owners. Criminals know people are armed and think twice before invading a home. After reading some of the comments on this page perhaps gun ownership is not the real problem. It may be irresponsible gun ownership by either people that use hard drugs or those that are mentally unstable. Here in Canada the government seems to have gotten it backwards and seem to protect the criminal more so than the law abiding citizen. God help us here in Canada if we try to protect our homes from the criminal intending to break in and do us harm. More often than not the citizen is charged more than the criminal. But having said that god help anyone trying to break into MY home and intending to do me harm. I will do whatever I have to, to protect myself and those that I love. I AM armed and know how to use it and I have no problem putting a bullet through the head of anyone trying to kill me. The heck with their back ass wards laws in Canada. That’s not to say that I’m going to go up on my roof and start popping off my neighbours just because I feel like it. That would be suicide by police and I have no intention of ever doing that. I consider myself a very responsible gun owner. But there is no need for me here in Canada to carry concealed. DARN hard to get a hand gun in Canada. You have to have a VERY good reason for wanting doing so. Canada: 9.95 million guns. 173 gun related homicides. Little higher than some. Probably due to the criminal gangs like the Jamaicans. Jamaica has one of the highest rates of gun related homicides in the world. “ONLY” 215,000 guns yet 1080 gun related homicides. Very surprised about India. They’re always trying to tell us how spiritual they are. One has to wonder. India: 46 million! guns. 3093 gun related homicides. United States: 270 million guns. Almost 10,000 gun related homicides. Brazil is the worst. I was quite surprised. 14.84 million guns. 34,678 gun related homicides. One has to wonder. Drugs again? And you make a very telling comment, Loren. Law abiding citizens. Responsible gun owners. And if everyone were like that you wouldn’t have any problems in the US. But not everyone is either law abiding or responsible south of me. And hard drugs seem to be a real problem in the US. Why? Someone else said on this page that the reason most people are incarcerated in the States is because of drugs. Why is there such a drug problem in the US and why hasn’t your government long ago cracked down on this problem? I sincerely appreciate your comments and am always willing to debate with a reasonable person. I wanted to start a conversation about concealed carry and looks like I was successful. LOL! Concealed carry is so foreign to me and I’m trying my best to understand my neighbours to the south. We are more alike than unlike and on websites like this I have “met” many wonderful people that I would be proud to call friends. As an aside, Loren, wasn’t there a great influx of Germans into Texas from the 1830’s onwards? As of 1990 about 3 million Texans considered themselves at least partially ethnically German. I think that Germans, as a people, also have a great desire for freedom and to govern themselves. They seem to be very stubborn buggers. LOL! And as a bit of trivia both Germans and Scots share a common trait. They were both not completely conquered by the Romans. The Picts turned the Romans back and that’s why Hadrian’s wall was built. The Romans feared the Picts. And in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in 9 CE, the Germans destroyed three legions of Roman soldiers which amounted to about 30,000 people. The Romans did not so soon forget this humiliating defeat. But they were never able to completely conquer Germany. Don’t mess with the Krauts! And NEVER underestimate the Canadians! And the point being that because there are a great number of ethnic Germans in Texas that may also be part of the reason for the dominant gun culture in Texas and the unquenchable desire for freedom in the hearts of the people of Texas. Thank you for taking the time to post. Much appreciated. 🙂
Jay R | February 8, 2019
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Must be careful comparing other country provided stats regarding gun related deaths, they are not the same. Some do not include suicides, most vary in year of collection.
One thing to remember about the US is that there are far more gun suicides than homicides. Few people know this. It is not reported, since it does not fit with the left’s narrative on gun violence.
Loren Kelly | February 5, 2019
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There are two wildly different gun cultures in America. One is the freedom-loving, gun-rights culture that upholds the responsible use of guns for hunting, sport and self-defense. The other is the criminal culture that thrives in the places where government restricts gun rights. No matter how good a job law enforcement agencies do, police cannot be everywhere at all times when criminals may decide to begin murdering innocents. Because of this, disarming responsible and law-abiding gun owners to take away their ability to defend themselves and others is dangerous, and can result in greater loss of lives. Meanwhile, the big lie being pushed in the media is that guns and the freedom enjoyed by America’s more than 100 million law-abiding gun owners are somehow to blame for murders. America’s gun owners aren’t the problem. They are allies in the fight to stop criminals who use guns. There is no clear correlation whatsoever between gun ownership rate and gun homicide rate. Not within the USA. Not regionally. Not internationally. Not among peaceful societies. Not among violent ones. We have one of the most organized and efficient police forces on Earth. More than 3 out of 4 Americans feel safe walking around where they live at night. While this is a measurement of perceived crime, and not crime itself, the perception is that the U.S. as a whole, is safe. This is probably bolstered by the fact that 78.6% of Americans have confidence in local police; a measure only topped by Scandinavian nations and Canada. Plus the fact that a large percentage of violent crime in America is concentrated in relatively small geographic areas, and, as we know, the U.S. is a massive place. The U.S., as a whole, is as safe as most modern industrialized nations.
The U.S. is not even in the top 100 for annual homicide rates when compared to the rest of the world. Most of the top countries with the highest homicide rates are in Africa and Latin America. The homicide rates are defined as the number of deaths by homicide per 100,000 people. The US is ranked 107 out of 218 countries, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Brazil saw nearly 60,000 murders in 2015, as many as the United States, China, all of Europe, Northern Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand combined. In Great Britain, the number of total violent crimes is almost double that of the U.S. That is despite the fact that only 19% involve a weapon, and only 5% of those involve a firearm. Great Britain has recently garnered media attention for being the most dangerous wealthy European nation at 1.2 murders per 100,000. In Canada, despite their gun control laws, shootings have been on the rise for the past few years, and in 2016 there were more people killed by guns than by knives in Canada. The use of handguns in Canada, specifically, has also been on the rise. There were 130 homicides committed with a handgun in 2016, Statistics Canada said in a recent report, which was the most in more than a decade. Handguns accounted for 21 per cent of the total Canadian homicides that year, and 58 per cent of the shooting homicides. In 2016 the RCMP was even estimating that up to 61 per cent of illegal guns started life as a legal Canadian firearm.
The most dangerous US cities rank among the most deadly cities in the world. New Orleans, which topped the list in 2012, saw one homicide for every 2000 residents. You’re more than 10 times more likely to be the victim of a homicide in New Orleans than in America as a whole. Bear in mind, however, that the cities with the top 10 homicide rates in the world (1.San Pedro Sula, Honduras. 2.Acapulco, Mexico. 3.Caracas, Venezuela. 4.Distrito Central, Honduras. 5.Torrean, Mexico. 6.Maceio, Brazil. 7.Cali, Columbia. 8.Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. 9.Barquisimeto, Venezuela. 10. Joao Pessoa, Brazil.) boast substantially higher rates than any other cities on the list. To put the numbers in context, you’re more than 3 times likelier to be the victim of a homicide in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, than in New Orleans, and more than 30 times more likely when comparing San Pedro Sula to the U.S., as a whole. Latin America has some of the highest gun homicide rates in the world, despite certain countries having strict gun control laws. This shows that tighter gun control legislation does not help to lower homicide rates and violent crime.
Armin | February 6, 2019
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You sound like a very intelligent person, Loren and you make some very good points. By you and people like you taking the time to post on this page you’re helping to open my eyes and others as to the reality of the gun culture in America. I agree with most of what you say. You make a great deal of sense and you make your points in a very measured and logical manner. A pleasure to communicate with you. From what you say, it seems to me that the government needs to do everything it can to eradicate the criminal element. To eradicate drugs. To eradicate pornography and all those involved in these enterprises. And I agree with you about the highest homicide rates. Africa. Don’t know why the Africans have such a difficult time getting it together. Africa is HUGE! Surely enough space and resources for everyone? Central America is one of the obvious ones. A pipeline for drugs coming in from South America. Jamaica another one. Again why? Do the Jamaicans just have a propensity for violence? Jamaica should be a paradise. Or is it a drug paradise? And that’s a very sad statistic about Canada. The GREAT WHITE NORTH. GWN. I agree that gun related crime IS on the rise in Canada. So sad. But these gun related crimes also seem to be clustered in relatively small areas and sad to say many where the mafia seem to hold sway. People like the mafia and people like them are also a terrible blight on society and another thing that needs to be eradicated.And then you have to ask yourself where are they getting these guns? Obviously the black market. But first the guns have to come into the black market from somewhere. There seems to be a common theme for the cities you listed. Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Central America. Could the common problem be the drugs or the drug related trade in these areas? Do people really need to take heroin, or cocaine or crystal meth or any of this other garbage that’s on the market. And what drives these people? Why do they want to destroy themselves in this manner? And then you mentioned New Orleans as being at the top of the list in the US. And again you have to wonder why. What’s going on in New Orleans where people are killing each other with such abandon? Is there a common thread in these places and if there is, what can be done about it? You could be very right about what you say at the end of your post, Loren. Perhaps the sad reality is that where gun control legislation is strictly enforced it opens up a power vacuum that is filled by the criminal element in society which seem to have no problems obtaining weapons. Let’s see if SHTF comes to pass in my lifetime. That will change all the rules. I’m ready.
Wayne McClay | February 7, 2019
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Great comments, a civil discussion on a hot topic. Love it