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The Avalanche
By Boris Karpa
Do you read fantasy books? In one of my favorite ones, I found the following quote: “The Empire rolled a pebble down the slope. The problem is, that was the pebble that started the avalanche.†Why did I think of it now? Well, just a few days ago, Alaska passed a law that said people no longer had to have a license to carry concealed weapons. Not a significant event in itself, even for Americans – and I’m not an American. However, that event is interesting – not in itself, but for its consequences for gun control in general – in America and elsewhere.
Those who will look at the history of gun control in the Western world will find one bizarre fact in the whole deal which is generally undeniable: throughout most of the 20th century, more and more restrictive gun laws were enacted – before any significant research on the matter came to be. Only in the late 1970’s – early 1980’s did research on the matter start to appear. And when it did, it tumbled like a snowball.
Very few people – except a few dedicated civil rights activists, perhaps – noticed the 1982 Senate Subcommittee report on the matter, talking about “the repeated, complete and inevitable failure of gun laws to control serious crimeâ€. Few noticed the 1989 work by Colin Greenwood of the University of Cambridge. Few have also noticed the passage of a “Right-to-Carry†law in 1989.
However, the results were to be massive and unexpected. During the wave of anti-gun hysteria of the early 1990’s which has seen such idiotism as the UK 1997 handgun ban and the US “Assault Weapons†ban, nobody has also noticed the passing of “Right-to-Carry†laws in numerous American states – and then, the unexpected relaxation of gun laws in several ex-Soviet republics – Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova – with the same result everywhere – the reduction of violent crime rates.
More and more experts stated their opinions on the topic – and most of them (those financed by groups like HCI do not count, of course) did not agree with gun control. And Americans were not the only ones. John Whitley, David Kopel, Gary Kleck, Valeriy Polozov, John Lott, Colin Greenwood, Steven Kendrick, Eugene Volokh… The pebble was rolling down the slope, and more and more, bigger and bigger pebbles were getting caught up.
By 2003, it is clear to any that cares to look, that the gun control lobby, for the first time in the 20th century, is losing ground. In the USA, the “Million†Mom March failed to gather even 400 “moms†for its annual rally, and the “Assault Weapon†Ban is nowhere near being extended, most states have “Right to Carry†laws, – and two even have true Right to Carry laws – the Armed Pilots Act passed, and the Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act is next. In Britain, Canada, Australia, major media have started to publish more and more pro-gun articles. Even the BBC ran an editorial by Joyce Lee Malcolm – a U.S. historian who proved that the UK’s draconian gun laws have lead to high levels of violence. In Russia, the right to bear arms is heavily discussed, with many media outlets rallying behind it. In Italy, government officials have voiced support of the right to bear arms. And when Michael Moore got an Oscar for his piece of anti-NRA propaganda, the Academy received over 10,000 letters demanding withdrawal of the award – and they’re considering it.
And there’s more and more of that with every day.
The evidence, ladies and gentlemen, is clear. Gun control is dying. Somebody dropped a pebble down the hill in the 1980’s, and it’s starting to drag some pretty large boulders along with it. Brace yourself, Sarah Brady. Take cover, Gill Marshall-Andrews. Run, Mrs. O’Donnell. The avalanche is coming.
Boris Karpa is a civil rights advocate from Bat-Yam, Israel. He does not and has never owned a gun.
When I'll get your comments, I'll edit it and look for a magazine/website to publish it.
By Boris Karpa
Do you read fantasy books? In one of my favorite ones, I found the following quote: “The Empire rolled a pebble down the slope. The problem is, that was the pebble that started the avalanche.†Why did I think of it now? Well, just a few days ago, Alaska passed a law that said people no longer had to have a license to carry concealed weapons. Not a significant event in itself, even for Americans – and I’m not an American. However, that event is interesting – not in itself, but for its consequences for gun control in general – in America and elsewhere.
Those who will look at the history of gun control in the Western world will find one bizarre fact in the whole deal which is generally undeniable: throughout most of the 20th century, more and more restrictive gun laws were enacted – before any significant research on the matter came to be. Only in the late 1970’s – early 1980’s did research on the matter start to appear. And when it did, it tumbled like a snowball.
Very few people – except a few dedicated civil rights activists, perhaps – noticed the 1982 Senate Subcommittee report on the matter, talking about “the repeated, complete and inevitable failure of gun laws to control serious crimeâ€. Few noticed the 1989 work by Colin Greenwood of the University of Cambridge. Few have also noticed the passage of a “Right-to-Carry†law in 1989.
However, the results were to be massive and unexpected. During the wave of anti-gun hysteria of the early 1990’s which has seen such idiotism as the UK 1997 handgun ban and the US “Assault Weapons†ban, nobody has also noticed the passing of “Right-to-Carry†laws in numerous American states – and then, the unexpected relaxation of gun laws in several ex-Soviet republics – Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova – with the same result everywhere – the reduction of violent crime rates.
More and more experts stated their opinions on the topic – and most of them (those financed by groups like HCI do not count, of course) did not agree with gun control. And Americans were not the only ones. John Whitley, David Kopel, Gary Kleck, Valeriy Polozov, John Lott, Colin Greenwood, Steven Kendrick, Eugene Volokh… The pebble was rolling down the slope, and more and more, bigger and bigger pebbles were getting caught up.
By 2003, it is clear to any that cares to look, that the gun control lobby, for the first time in the 20th century, is losing ground. In the USA, the “Million†Mom March failed to gather even 400 “moms†for its annual rally, and the “Assault Weapon†Ban is nowhere near being extended, most states have “Right to Carry†laws, – and two even have true Right to Carry laws – the Armed Pilots Act passed, and the Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act is next. In Britain, Canada, Australia, major media have started to publish more and more pro-gun articles. Even the BBC ran an editorial by Joyce Lee Malcolm – a U.S. historian who proved that the UK’s draconian gun laws have lead to high levels of violence. In Russia, the right to bear arms is heavily discussed, with many media outlets rallying behind it. In Italy, government officials have voiced support of the right to bear arms. And when Michael Moore got an Oscar for his piece of anti-NRA propaganda, the Academy received over 10,000 letters demanding withdrawal of the award – and they’re considering it.
And there’s more and more of that with every day.
The evidence, ladies and gentlemen, is clear. Gun control is dying. Somebody dropped a pebble down the hill in the 1980’s, and it’s starting to drag some pretty large boulders along with it. Brace yourself, Sarah Brady. Take cover, Gill Marshall-Andrews. Run, Mrs. O’Donnell. The avalanche is coming.
Boris Karpa is a civil rights advocate from Bat-Yam, Israel. He does not and has never owned a gun.
When I'll get your comments, I'll edit it and look for a magazine/website to publish it.
