So What Happens When a Town Ditches Gun Control Laws?

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http://newswithviews.com/Turtel/joel40.htm

WHY RAPISTS & ROBBERS RAN FROM ONE FLORIDA TOWN

By Joel Turtel

April 15, 2007

NewsWithViews.com

“Mayor, we’ve got a big problem on our hands,” said Police Chief Bud Anderson to Mike Branden, mayor of Palm City, Florida, a small city of 200,000 old-fashioned Americans, sitting in the middle of the Florida panhandle. It was a beautiful spring day in April.

Bud Anderson was a handsome man, in his thirties, dark brown hair, blue eyes, a wide, easy mouth. He wore a light-blue short-sleeve shirt and jeans. Mayor Mike Branden, also dressed casually, was in his forties, tall, and well-built. He used to be an orange-grower, his family going back generations in Palm City. He had a weather-beaten face, strong mouth, and calloused hands the size of mitts. He had just been elected mayor in November and won the election on his promise to clean up crime in the city.

Over the last five years, the city had become a little Silicon Valley, with computer companies moving in by the droves because there were no corporate taxes in Florida or in Palm City. The city was prospering, and the newly-rich computer millionaires and their employees with stock options were all building big, fancy houses by the river. The money and big houses had attracted the thieves. The city crime rate had been exploding, especially home burglaries and rapes. All the women in the city were scared and up in arms over the crime spree, and wanted something done. Mayor Branden promised to do something about it.

“Bud, tell me what you think the problem is,” Mike Branden said. “Tell me what you think we can do.”

“Well, Mike,” Bud Anderson said, “I think the thieves and rapists have it too easy. They’re smart. They case the mark’s house carefully before they break in. They only break in when they know the wife is home alone. But that’s not the real problem, Mike.”

“The real problem is that the women are defenseless. You may not know this, being so new as Mayor, but about five years ago the previous Mayor passed gun laws that made it illegal to have a gun in the house, and illegal to use one against a burglar. He also made it illegal for anyone to carry a concealed gun outside the house. That’s when our troubles started, Mayor.”

Mike Branden grew up with guns ever since he was a boy. He belonged to the National Rifle Association. He loved skeet shooting, and bought his kids their first rifles when they were eight years old. He taught them how to shoot straight and how to use a gun safely. His wife also owned a rifle and handgun, shared his love for skeet shooting, and was a crack shot. Mayor Mike Branden was not a college graduate, but he had guts, common sense, and imagination. He immediately saw the problem, and the solution.

“Well, I think we’ll change those gun laws, Bud. Thieves and rapists have it too easy around here. They know they can rob houses and rape women with no risk.

Let’s put the risk back. Let’s see what happens when they get shot if they break into a house or bother one of our women. I’m sick to death of all the gun laws in this country, so let’s try a little experiment. I’ll convince the City Council to revoke our gun-control laws. Next, I’ll convince them to pass a new law requiring every man and woman in Palm City to own a handgun or shotgun, and know how to use them safely. I want a pistol and shotgun in every home. I want every woman walking around town with a concealed gun in her purse or under her dress. Let’s see what happens when we change the laws. Let’s see what happens when we give the victims a way to defend themselves.

I also want you to put a series of ads in the Palm City Gazette and Daily Press that announces the new laws, so everyone knows that every Palm City resident will soon be armed. I want you to set up gun safety and training courses on the local firing ranges, so we know that every woman in this town will be dead shot.”

Bud Anderson’s eyes lit up with admiration for his new Mayor. He had been wanting to revoke those gun laws for the last five years, but never dreamed of the daring plan the new Mayor now wanted to put into action.

“That’s a damned fantastic idea, Mike. You’re going to make a hell of a Mayor. I think the citizens in this town are going to love you. They’re going to have a great time learning how to use a gun again, especially the women. I know the women will form gun clubs. They’ll probably want to buy designer guns with pretty colors. Hell, I might even buy a pearl-handled 45 myself.”

Mike Branden laughed out loud at his Police Chief’s boyish enthusiasm. He said, “I think the new laws should be in place in about a month, Bud. Let’s meet again in about three months and you can tell me whether we’ve had any success with the plan.” Bud Anderson gave a mock salute to his Mayor, said “yes, sir,” and walked out the door into the Spring sunshine.

THREE MONTHS LATER:

It’s a hot July day in the Mayor’s office, and Police Chief Anderson and Mike Branden are having an enthusiastic conversation.

“Mike, mother-of-god did your plan work! The crime rate has dropped like a rock in Palm City. Burglaries are down 80 percent. Rapes are down 90 percent. I’ve never seen anything like it. It all started about two months ago, Mike. There was a burglary gang that had been hitting most of the houses. Well, about ten of them have been shot, three killed in the last two months. As soon as the burglar alarm goes off, the women took their guns from their purses and started shooting. I’ve interrogated some of the thieves we caught. They’re pretty stupid and don’t read much, so they weren’t aware of the new gun laws. They thought we were still operating under the old laws. You should have seen the shock on their faces. They were mad as hell. They never expected pretty young housewives to be spraying them with semi-automatic fire. They were mad as hell at you.”

“Then there were the rapists who didn’t know about the new gun laws either, the ones who prayed on women at night in the shopping-mall parking lots. Did they get the shock of their lives! About twenty of them have been shot already, five killed. They just came up to the women, brazen like, thinking they could get away with anything like they used to. Then the girls suddenly pulled out their pretty pistols and started firing away. You should hear how the women laughed with glee and pride when they told me their stories. They told me how thankful they were to have their guns. I think all the women in this town love you now, Mike. It’s a good thing you’re already married.”

“I think the bad guys are getting the picture, Mike. Burglars and rapists are getting scarce in Palm City. Matter of fact, I just got a call from Ben Radley, Police Chief at Hampton Bay. They still have the same idiotic gun-control laws we had here. Seems they’ve been getting a sharp rise in house burglaries and rapes there. Looks like our bad guys are moving on to easier ground in Hampton Bay. I sure feel sorry for the people in that town right now. Ben Radley wants to talk to you real bad. He wants to know how you got crime down so fast in Palm City. Who knows, Mike, maybe what you did here will spread all over the country. I hope so.”

“One other thing, Mike. Every teacher and principal in every public school in this town now carries a concealed gun. Every one of the kids know this, and they now feel real safe in the schools. They’re not worrying anymore about one of their deranged teen-age friends suddenly going on a shooting spree, like what happened at Columbine High School. If anything happens, they know they don’t have to wait an hour for the cops to show up. They know the teachers and principal can protect them. Did you know math and reading scores are going up at the schools, too? It’s the damndest thing.”

“Mike, I think you’re going to be Mayor in this town for as long as you like. I hope you stay on forever, because Palm City folks are really grateful to you. At first they were a little skeptical about your plans. But now, after they’ve seen the results, you couldn’t get them to give up their guns anymore. We’re even getting calls from newspapers, magazines, and TV stations all over the country. CNN wants to interview you, did you know that? They called me this morning. You’re becoming a celebrity, by god!”

Mike Branden laughed out loud. “Me, an orange grower, a celebrity? Forget the interviews Bud. How about we go fishing this afternoon after work? It’s getting kind of quiet around here, just the way I like it.”

Bud Anderson, grinning, stuck out his hand to shake Mike’s big, calloused hand, for he now counted Mike Branden as a good friend. That afternoon, they caught a dozen trout at Briar Creek lake. It was a fine afternoon.

© 2007 Joel Turtel - All Rights Reserved
 
That's a nice read and hopeful however this part scares the daylights out of me

“Then there were the rapists who didn’t know about the new gun laws either, the ones who prayed on women at night in the shopping-mall parking lots. Did they get the shock of their lives! About twenty of them have been shot already, five killed. They just came up to the women, brazen like, thinking they could get away with anything like they used to. Then the girls suddenly pulled out their pretty pistols and started firing away. You should hear how the women laughed with glee and pride when they told me their stories.


When I was in grade school basically the same thing happened to us. Girls were complaining (in a catholic school :rolleyes: ) of unwanted advances. The school called us all together and said any guys who talk to a girl 'dirty' could get a good kick between the legs by that girl :what:

Few hours later a guy dropped to his knees. Not because he was in the wrong, but the girl didn't realize the boundries and just got flustered.

There are lines when it comes to when action should be taken, and as it is written I take it if your a girl and someone approaches you at night hunting season is open.

'm in my 20's and the girls I know are scared out of their wits when it comes to attacks and the like. Course they like to play it off as cool, or maybe they are that smug. When I walk down the street I get deadly looks and girls changing paths so I'm not 'stalking' once they notice I'm as far as a bock away :banghead: (haha and no it's just not me, every guy has the same thing happen)

The last thing I'd want in my town are those girls with guns. It would sound like the 4th of July every night

Now don't get me started about how impossible it is to talk to a girl and the like.....
 
There still needs to be a reasonable threat to life or serious injury. "He looked mean" is not a valid reason to shoot someone.

Are there any links for the crime statistics for that town? :)
 
as much as I want this to be true, It does not pass the smell test for a legitimate news article.

he doesnt list any dates

the city is around 20k not 200k

city is on the atlantic side, not on the panhandle as the author states

I believe that Florida has had preemption laws for many years.
 
as much as I want this to be true, It does not pass the smell test for a legitimate news article.

he doesnt list any dates

the city is around 20k not 200k

city is on the atlantic side, not on the panhandle as the author states

I believe that Florida has had preemption laws for many years.

NOt to mention it is too flowery. I have never read a news artical that was written in such a narative form. It sounds more like a chapter from the Tom Clancy Crime Prevention Primer. Except for the lack of 1 or more Nuclear warships.
 
Popcorn in the lobby

. . . know that every woman in this town will be dead shot.
Hopefully me meant ". . . a dead shot."

. . . expected pretty young housewives to be spraying them with semi-automatic fire.
An unfortunate choice of words.

. . . rapists who didn’t know about the new gun laws either, the ones who prayed on women at night in the shopping-mall parking lots.
Oh, Lord, how about preyed already!

Then the girls suddenly pulled out their pretty pistols and started firing away.
Another unfortunate characterization.

Every teacher and principal in every public school in this town now carries a concealed gun. Every one of the kids know this, and they now feel real safe in the schools.
Okay, that triggers the BS meter. I was doing fine with what was clearly a work of fiction, had my "suspension of disbelief" all calibrated, and then this.

Looks like they're serving lotus blossom in the lobby with the popcorn.

* Sigh *

One can dream, though.
 
If you backtrack on that link to their homepage (News With A View -- Where Reality Shatters Illusion!), you'll find that they make no bones about the fact that every "article" they post is clearly just someone's opinon. A sampling of listed titles:

The Danger of Blind Loyalty to Political Leaders
Have faith in God only, political leaders must be held accountable

Felony jury tampering: Judges who "Instruct" jurors
Black robed activist judges instructing naïve jurors

Bush Lacks Common Sense That God Gave a Goose
Shouldn't Bush secure America's border before securing Iraq's?

Church switchers, change agents & agenda-driven surveys
It's not what they're asking you - It's what they're telling you


Everyone's entitles to their opinion, but OP should have made it clear that his posted quote was to an opinion piece, and not a news article.
 
It's a fabrication. Florida towns can't pass or repeal gun control laws for a long time now due to state preemption. Either that story is from the 70s or it is fake. I'm guessing fake.
 
Mayor Mike Branden was not a college graduate, but he had guts, common sense, and imagination. He immediately saw the problem, and the solution.

Regardless of the story's authenticity, this statement is backwards.

IMO, it should read:

Because Mayor Mike Branden was not a college graduate, he still had guts, common sense, and imagination. He immediately saw the problem, and the solution.

Not knocking college degrees, I have one myself. But it's crazy that some people still believe having a college degree is necessary in order to provide a worthwhile idea or sound opinion. If anything, it's exactly the other way around, given the political correctness, group-think, and other social engineering rampant on today's campus.

Especially on call-in talkshows, for some reason callers feel they have to "confess" to not having a degree before rendering their opinion to the host. Good grief.
 
:uhoh: :scrutiny: :what: What's the deal with saying fake? Did you not notice where it came from and realize that it was a hypothetical town in an editorial that while having a few grammatical mistakes that ArfinGreebly mentioned, generally hit on the problems of having strict gun control and hit on the results of changing it back to the way it should. Take it for what it is and remember that not everything you see is based on or talking about factual events, sometimes it is a story written to make a point...:banghead:
 
"News" with views

:barf: You have to take the BS story with a lot of salt. It's clearly done to make you think "NEWS" but it's short on REAL. If you were fooled it wasn't unintentional. Maybe the site should be Talltaleswithamoral.com We'll see if the real Palm City finds out about this.
 
VARifleman said:
Did you not notice where it came from and realize that it was a hypothetical town in an editorial that while having a few grammatical mistakes that ArfinGreebly mentioned, generally hit on the problems of having strict gun control and hit on the results of changing it back to the way it should. Take it for what it is and remember that not everything you see is based on or talking about factual events, sometimes it is a story written to make a point...

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I see a website that has the word "News" in it, I expect actual news. From "News With Views", I expect news stories, and opinions based on those stories.

The story presented here, while painting a rosy picture of how we might wish things could be, is clearly false. The town is not labelled as "hypothetical", though, and the story is not labelled as false. It's presented as if it were, in fact, true. This might cause untold problems if anti's use that website as evidence to show how we pro-gunners don't tell the truth about firearms usage in America. It also might cause problems if some pro-gunners use stories from that website to bolster their pro-gun arguments, not realizing that those stories are false. Imagine citing "The Three Little Pigs" as a reason to ban houses made of wood...

All-in-all, not High Road material.
 
I too, thought this was going to be a news article, but as soon as I finished the first paragraph, I figured it was a story, not a news article. When was the last time you read a news article that was written fully in narrative?

Two things bothered me about the story were that it sure did sound like the women were really going nuts by 'spraying' anyone with a gleam in their eye with semi-automatic fire. This was probably an embellishment on the part of the deputy, but it sure didn't sound like anyone was using any restraint when it came to filling 'criminals' full of lead, as opposed to stopping them.

The other one was I do believe that forcing everyone to carry a firearm is almost as bad as forcing no one to be able to defend themselves. Forced carry is not justifiable in my opinion. I will always support someone's right to choose. On that note, I would also add that although I wish everyone was responsible enough to carry a firearm, I don't believe it is a charge that everyone can handle. The general rule is that if you are not willing to take someone's life, you should not carry a firearm, or use one in self-defense. I'm not sure I'm ready to take someone's life, but I'm even less ready to die by the hands of a criminal, so there's my justification, but you can't expect everyone over 18 to be able to accept that kind of responsibility.
 
ceetee, so foxnews or any of the news stations can't have an editorial? It's clearly labeled fiction at the top of the article, you'd know that if you clicked the link. Click it...take an editorial for what it's worth, not everything on a news station is fact some is opinion. :cuss:
 
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