TTAG reader SM writes:
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. And when only outlaws have guns, all guns are bad, obviously. And when all guns are bad, guns must be outlawed. This snake-eating-its-tail logic is firmly entrenched in The Big Apple. “When somebody makes a decision to pick up a gun, that’s like a pre-murder case” says Richard M. Aborn, the president of the Citizen Crime Commission of New York City, celebrating the re-birth of New York City’s “gun courts” [via nytimes.com]. The New York press reinforces this notion by refusing to report on defensive gun uses. My liberal friends honestly believe that defensive gun use is a myth perpetrated by the evil NRA. The notion that gun possession leads . . .
directly to murder seems absurd. And yet it is the basis for public policy for a significant slice of the United States (by population). People are predictably irrational and the gun rights movement needs to be aware of the logical fallacies that people are prone to believe and we need to develop responses better than mocking their ignorance.
The civil rights movement focused on black voter registration in the south in the 1960s. We should be going door to door in crime-ridden inner city communities helping besieged civilians navigate the local laws that have made it next to impossible to defend themselves. Let’s start reaching out and get these folks armed and trained. I’m talking vans to take people to the gun store and the range. The best way to change the narrative is face to face, lead by example, and reach out a hand.