Weekly Spotlight 8/25/23-8/31/23
Don’t Let Anti-Gun Narratives Fool You, a Vast Majority of Americans Already Own or Would Consider Buying a Firearm
Despite narratives being pushed by the Biden Administration, anti-gun politicians, and the national media that guns are the root of all of our country’s woes or that gun control will be a winning issue in 2024, new survey data from Pew Research Center shows that most Americans don’t think guns are the boogeyman they’re made out to be by so many public figures. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults either own a firearm or could see themselves purchasing one in the future. Gun control proponents and the media would like to have you think Americans are turning against firearms. Clearly, this is not the case.
The reality is that more and more Americans are embracing self-defense by becoming responsible firearms owners. 32 percent of survey respondents said they own a gun, which is an increase from similar surveys Pew conducted in 2021 and 2017. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of respondents said “protection” was their primary reason for owning a gun. This is not surprising for two reasons. First, people feel more free and empowered when they know they can defend themselves from danger at a moment’s notice. Second, the crime-ridden landscape in many of our major cities today is driving more people to rely less on their own government to protect them and more on themselves. This is especially true in cities where failed gun control policies have done nothing to lower crime, but instead only hamstring law-abiding citizens.
Let’s take Washington, D.C., where some of the strictest gun laws in the country have been implemented. Despite that reality, a wave of violent crime has spread across the city this year, with a 54% increase in robberies, an 18% increase in homicides, and a 6% increase in assaults with a deadly weapon as compared to 2022. And in Chicago, another hub for gun control laws, crime continues to soar as hundreds of teenagers gather at night to set fire to cars and loot, people are held at gunpoint on the street for their wallets and phones, and businesses are moving out of town. We see this same alarming trend in almost every major U.S. city.
Americans know that the right to self-defense has never been more important. We see this firsthand every day as record numbers of Americans from all walks of life are actively seeking out more education and training for self-defense. It all goes to show – even in the face of seemingly every institution in our country driving anti-gun narratives, people still understand that the most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones is through responsible gun ownership.
OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
New Jersey can sue the gun industry under a “public nuisance” law, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, handing a major victory to the state after last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision loosening public carrying restrictions. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals’ dismissal of a challenge brought by the National Shooting Sports Foundation last year comes as New Jersey and other states look for novel ways to balance public safety with gun rights under the high court’s June 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.
A potential jugging victim turned the tables on three robbers after they followed the man back to his business from a bank. Jugging is when criminals follow someone from a bank with a plan to rob them, which sounds exactly like what happened here. Yesterday, a Houston business owner was followed back to his business after depositing cash at a bank. As he entered the business, he was hit in the back of the head. What the suspects didn’t know was that he and another employee of the business were armed with handguns. The police stated that when the victim turned around, he and an employee who witnessed the attack fired shots at the suspects.
Two of the suspects were found dead on the scene. A third robber was caught on surveillance footage fleeing the scene in an SUV.
- The Wall Street Journal: Hundreds Of Gun Dealers Lose Licenses Under Biden Administration Crackdown
The Biden administration is revoking licenses from hundreds of firearms dealers in a significant escalation of federal enforcement actions that has angered many in the gun industry. It has also provoked disagreement among law-enforcement veterans. Some say it is a welcome change after years of wrist slaps, while others say it risks alienating some of the government’s most valuable sources in combating gun violence. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has revoked the licenses of 122 gun dealers in the fiscal year that began in October, up from 90 for all last fiscal year and 27 in 2021. Previously, ATF issued warnings to many firearms dealers for legal violations, in part because they are a valuable source of tips on suspicious gun buyers. The Trump and Obama administrations never revoked more than 81 dealers’ lice
An armed gas station customer shot an armed robber all while holding a 6-pack of beer. On July 27, 2023, a man with a Michigan concealed carry permit was about to purchase a 6-pack of beer at a gas station when he noticed a man walk into the store and attempt to rob the clerk. The concealed carrier heard the man say, “You know why I’m here,” inferring that he was robbing the store. He backtracked, got behind some shelves, drew his gun, and fired seven shots at the robber, striking him in the arm, back, and face. The armed citizen ran to his car to get another loaded magazine and held the wounded suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. The suspect was transported to the hospital, later released, and has three charges, including armed robbery.