The Daily Orange

Excellent argument on your behalf. It is refreshing when a gun-owner like myself is reminded that a vast majority of individuals in this great land support the right to keep and bear arms. Our founding fathers understood best that without the Second Amendment, there are no other rights or liberties in our country. Great column, I appreciate your point of view.

Thanks for speaking truth!!!

The American people are able to prevent crimes throughout the country because of our 2nd amendment rights! People who oppose gun control are in a less-than-1/4 minority because they just don't understand, and probably grew up brainwashed by the blue state rhetoric.

THANK GOD the Dems are finally standing back with the JFK mentality of supporting our rights! God bless America!

I had to finally comment though I avoided it in the past.

THANK YOU for this column. To bravely stand as a college student for the rights of American gun owners is not something many could do. Campuses are filled with "take the gun away" rhetoric. Tragedies like VT and others would never have happened if more guns were in the hands of ordinary citizens there.

I lost my nephew because he did not have the right to concealed carry on his campus - let's never allow another life to end the same way.

Thank you again for writing this. I admire your courage.

Thanks for a great truthfull article, I saw a online poll by USA today in Nov. 2007 it asked "does the second amendment give individuals the right to bear arms"? It was 97% YES..
http://www.usatoday.com/news/quickquestion/2007/november/popup5895.htm
But they don't ever refer to it. There's not been one Country, State, City thats been made safer with gun controls or restrictions. Liberals need to take ownership and responsibilty for their failed policy's and laws and be judged by the "results" instead of their "intent"...

About 30 years ago, when my family lived in a more rural area of upstate, my husband's shotgun stopped two men from robbing us in the dead of night. Before then, I yelled at him to get rid of it. After that, I told him to buy another for me and promptly learned how to shoot one myself! We must never forget that the right to have a gun is there for a real purpose and we can never let politicians take that right away.

The first thing all dictators do is take the guns out of the hands of the people.
Hitler did it, Stalin did it, Castro did it, Kim did it. A people without their right of defense is a people who are easily put down by any government.
Keep the guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens to stop the crimes of the bad guys, that's how we need to keep this country working!

I don't understand the logic of people who want to take away the guns from those who follow law. Isn't law supposed to be stopping the law BREAKERS? Work on getting illegal guns off the street before you take gun away from people like my father and husband.

Good job, Mr. Napolitano. Tell it like it is!

Another great article...I cant wait till Wed comes to read your column. Your opposing opinion editor did not do a good job on his side, as I agree with Will S. comments that his sources are foreigners from a Dane and from England, which actually confirms your points!

Again I say it proudly: VIVA VINNY!

I do hope you bring your common sense beliefs to either political writing or office someday! We need more like you!!!

Great point of view! I am an NRA member and have been since I was 15 years old. The memories of hunting with my dad are some of the best in my life! If the Dems get their gun-grabbing way, kids will never get to know they once had the right to own a gun... God help us all then.

We truly need more people speaking out for our gun rights in this country. How much plainer can it be stated? SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!

Excellent job with this article! The other one that advocated for gun control could not touch you on this issue! You had strong facts, a good argument, and it doesn't hurt you have most Americans on your side! Bravo on a job well done!

Wonderful column that you have written. America is a beautiful country, full of hopes and dreams, protected by each American as they stand tall with their right to bear arms against all enemies. I am from South Korea, and in the North of my homeland, a tyrant took this right, to have a gun, from the people first. From there, he and later his son ruled with iron fists with the people slowly deteriorating into brainwashed zombies. It can happen here if we are not strong in fighting for the right of gun ownership.

Really really good one! I hope people who are for gun "control" realize they are only helping the criminals and terrorists!

New York has instituted more and more restriction on my Constitutional rights.

They tax me, they take away my rights, and Spitzer is only going to let it get worse.

Gun rights advocates need to stop this maniac before he robs us of our right to have a gun, or there will be no freedoms left since there will be nothing we can fight for them with.

Stand strong, my friends. Stand strong and fight for your rights!

Damn straight! Keep those laws off my g-d guns!

I just can't understand anyone who has the nerve to tell me they know better than me and tell me that I don't need a gun. If I want one, I should be able to get one. The Dems will dish out gay marriages like there is no tomorrow, kill babies with abortion and fight for it til the end - THOSE things they will give out, but will they fight for government-funding of gun ownership? I would say don't hold your breath!

The courts have ruled that police do not have the duty to protect "you yourself as individual", only the fact that they are there to protect the general public. Self defence is a God given right that was in place long before the constitution. When seconds count, police are only minutes away. Usually to take a report and draw a chalk line!!! IF YOU WANT MY GUNS... MOLON LABE !!!!!!!

moondog

Yo, real good column man. Keep it real. I ain't wit Republicans most of da time, but ya'll damn good wit da whole gun issue. In mah neighborhood, you need a gun legally to stop the ones who got em illegally. That's how its gotta be.

~ Jeff

Very nice job with this issue! Too many people dont get how critical this right is, and if we dont fight, we may lose it! Keep the good columns coming!

As a Jewess in the US, I want to remind everyone that America wasn't won with a registered gun. Nor are criminals stopped by talk, but rather by FIREARMS. That is why all REAL Americans put our 2nd Amendment FIRST!

Thank you, Mr. Napolitano, for being a true patriot! You are a credit to this paper, especially in an opinion section that is lacking! Keep it up!

A friend of mine in New York sent this to me here in Wyoming. As a rancher, my gun is what helps me protect my animals, my property, and my family. May the Lord bless you for standing up for us in the most hostile of places, the Northeast!

Never give up, never surrender! FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!!!

This is a piece that I wrote for a local liberal newspaper. To their credit they ran it. Feel free to reference:

John P. Pryor's article "Casualties of War – the one at home," (Gazette August 8th) of inner city teen-agers dead or dying from gunshot wounds are heart wrenching. The massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine shocked the world.
Not unexpectedly after horrific events involving firearms the anti-gun crowd cries for stricter gun control laws. The problem is that gun control laws do nothing to stop crime and result in additional victims.
There are already 22,000 federal laws in this country regulating the purchase, sale, ownership and types of firearms individuals may possess. Instead of insisting on enforcing already existing laws, anti-gun advocates propose new restrictions. New proposals include "gun free zones," stamping identifying marks on empty shell casings, allowing only "approved" firearms to be sold, limiting people to purchase one firearm per month and banning certain types of firearms based upon how they look. These ideas, though impractical, give some people a good feeling because they feel they are doing something. However, the end result is that only law-abiding citizens are going to follow these new laws because criminals by their very nature do not follow the law. And that sets up an environment where you and I suffer the consequences.
In 2004, the National Academy of Sciences reviewed 253 journal articles, 99 books, and 43 government publications evaluating 80 gun-control measures. The researchers could not identify a single gun-control regulation that reduced violent crime, suicide, or accidents. A year earlier, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on an independent evaluation of firearms and ammunition bans, restrictions on acquisition, waiting periods, registration, licensing, child access prevention laws, and zero tolerance laws. Conclusion: none of the laws had a meaningful impact on gun violence.1
Criminals sell crack in "Drug Free Zones." Criminals carry guns in "Gun Free Zones." "Gun Free Zones" become "Killing Zones" where law-abiding citizens are sitting ducks because they are denied the ability to legally protect themselves.
Some argue that the police should be our protection rather than allowing citizens to be armed. In 1856 the United States Supreme Court ruled that police are responsible for the protection of society at large and not responsible for the protection of individuals [South v. Maryland, 59 U.S. (How.) 396, 15 L.Ed., 433 (856)]. This ruling was upheld as recently as 1989 [Lynch v. N.C.Dept. of Justice, 376 S.E.2nd 247 (N.C.App. 1989)]. The New York Times reported that although crime is down in the city and there are more police on the street, the average response time to a 911 call has increased to over 10 minutes. Having to wait 10 minutes for the police to arrive may be the difference between life and death. Ten minutes is average, longer waits are common, and there are accounts of the police never responding at all.
Between 1973 and 2003 firearms ownership doubled in the United States. During those same years murder rates dropped by one third. Statistics show that with every 1% increase in legal firearm ownership correlates with a 4.1% decrease in violent crime2.
Other countries can also offer us lessons. In Australia, the government banned firearms in 1996, after a publicized shooting. Immediately after the ban, armed robberies rose by 73%, unarmed robberies by 28%, kidnappings by 38%, assaults by 17%, and manslaughter by 29%. This was reported on the web site of the Australian Bureau of Statistics in January, 2000.3 After England initiated a ban on handguns a 1998 study by the US Department of Justice found that there were 40% more muggings in England, and burglary rates were almost 100% higher than in the United States. And, counter-intuitively, rates of crimes using handguns is on the rise. In 1999-2000, crimes using handguns were at a seven-year high. Apparently, criminals were easily able to access guns, but law enforcement officers and law-abiding citizens were not allowed.4
So what does have a direct impact upon crime? Allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. It's estimated that legally owned firearms are used over 2 million times a year to protect life and property. Often simply brandishing the firearm deters the criminal. Thirty-one states have chosen to loosen gun control laws and allow lawful citizens the right to carry a concealed gun with "shall issue" permits. The anti-gun crowd predicted minor fender-benders exploding into "wild west shoot outs." Not only has that not happened, but the opposite has happened. On average these "shall issue" states have 19% lower murder rate, 39% lower robbery rates and 24% lower violent crime rates that states that forbid their citizens to carry concealed.5
With all of this evidence that more legal firearms in the hands of lawful citizens lowers crime, why do anti-gun advocates push for additional gun control laws? People commit crimes for a variety of reasons, mostly stemming from poor economic conditions, lack of opportunity and the lack of positive influences in their lives. It is easier to blame inanimate objects illegally used as tools than to address core societal motivational factors.
The emotions resulting from massacres committed by individuals or groups who break existing firearms laws are easy to understand. What society chooses to do about these events is vital. We need to be careful to gauge our reactions and not let our emotions create additional unintended victims because of "feel good measures." We need to evaluate what would drive individuals or groups to commit such crimes and how we can most effectively protect ourselves from those people should we be unfortunate enough to find ourselves in such a situation. We shouldn't let our irrational fears blind us to the data. Yes, firearms are powerful. But they can be life saving, especially in the hands of law-abiding citizens.



1. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8212 April 28, 2007. "They Never Learn" by Robert A. Levy. American Spectator April 25th 2007.
2. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8212 April 28, 2007. "They Never Learn" by Robert A. Levy. American Spectator April 25th 2007.
3. http://www.saf.org/default.asp?p=gunrights_faq Question #10 "What is gun control like in other countries?"
4. http://www.saf.org/default.asp?p=gunrights_faq Question #10 "What is gun control like in other countries?"
5. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4706 May 13, 2000. "Gun Control: Myths and Reality" by David Lampo.

Vinny was right on about every single issue he has written about, and now, his predictions on Spitzer were true too! What a great columnist! I hope you will be a political commentator, America could use your wisdom!

Very nice article, Mr. Napolitano!

I hope people truly do understand that as Americans they need to keep the Second Amendment at the front of the issues that matter always, or else we will see our rights trampled!

Keep writing and we will keep reading!

Splendid take! As a transplant from London, I saw how horrid a country becomes when strict gun laws go into effect. Never let it happen here! ! !

The Second Amendment couldn't be any clearer: The people have the right to keep and bear arms! What's the debate here anyway? Oh, liberals... How silly you are to think you can rob the people of their rights. Keep rockin it Vinny!

Great column. A colleague of mine is a recent graduate of SU. We are out here in Nevada, but we always appreciate seeing we have conservative brethren in the liberal stronghold of NY! Best to you, and keep up the strong work!

Good grief. The amount of liberal bashing that goes on here is staggering. Apparently, many commenters don't realize how many Democrats are Second Amendment proponents. A 2002 ABC News survey found that 66 percent of Democrats think that the Second Amendment grants citizens the right to bear arms. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/guns_poll020514.html

It doesn't help the gun rights movement to alienate potential allies.

Very well done here. I searched the Second Amendment on here and was happy to see your piece come up. Now let's hope the Supreme Court agrees with you in their upcoming opinion, or we will see a nation delve into chaos.

And now, the Supreme Court has made it official!

Americans have the INDIVIDUAL RIGHT to keep and bear arms! Happy day of happy days, the Supreme Court actually got it right!

Take that, gun-grabbers!

Great job with this one. I am usually a Democrat, but I have been really ashmed of my party on the subject of gun rights. Now Obama has flip flopped on that issue. But, because of his record, I need to vote my gun rights and vote McCain.

Stand up for your rights, Americans - we won. This goes to show you what happens when the court is finally moving in the right direction, in line with the Constitution, and with the American people. Good job here with this article, and I hope a bunch of college kids read it and saw the intelligence in your writing.

I like it.

Great argument. And hey, now Obama thinks so too ::cough cough FLIP FLOPPING OPPORTUNIST cough::

I too am a strong advocate of the second amendment of the constitution because it gives the people the power to secure a free state, if they have the gumption, from those in power who choose to suspend certain freedoms provided by said constitution.

The United States Constitution may be flawed, but it's a whole lot better than what we have now.

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