The Biomac Foundation

2nd Amendment: It's time to take on the perfect storm

African-Americans make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population; yet in 2005, they accounted for a staggering 53.4 percent of the 12,352 gun-related homicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is one of the dire public-health consequences of patchwork gun regulation in the United States. But far more muddled than the actual regulation itself is the Second Amendment debate that undergirds it.

Pro-gun folks essentially say that gun ownership is not only a long-held tradition in our country, but it also is woven into our culture and heritage and is part and parcel of how this country was able to ensure its independence. That argument is valid.

The communities that are the most prevalent victims of gun violence harbor a different perspective: Guns don't ensure our modern-day independence; instead they are wielded by those who seek to victimize citizens, and, in turn, they make those citizens dependent upon law enforcement.

Pro-gun folks object, asserting that increased legal gun ownership actually leads to less crime. Prolific researcher and author John Lott Jr. has done an extensive study that supports this view. It shows a "strong negative relationship between the number of law-abiding citizens with [concealed weapon] permits and the crime rate,"according to an interview with Lott on the University of Chicago Press Web site. The more permits that are issued, the fewer violent crimes that occur.

Now let's see if there is a more efficacious vaccine to inoculate society from the scourge of violent crime than increased weapons on our person, and in our bars, parks and colleges. Recent legislation proposed in a number of states and in Congress would lead some to believe that when citizens are not armed, they are just targets.

To read the full article, please click the following link: http://www.policydiary.com/2009/08/gun-control-and-perfect-storm.html

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