Friday, June 27, 2008

The impact of Heller

Well, if you are watching the news this morning you would think that it's the end of the world. I hear journalists talk about "mixed reactions" and "some feel positive about the decision," yet they don't interview any of those people. It's almost like their biased or something.

Personally, I think that things are pretty much gonna stay the same for awhile. It's very likely that shootings are going to go up some, and the media will be all over it, but an increase in shootings and "gun deaths" does not mean an increase in murder. Some DC residents are going to keep a loaded handgun in their home, and they have a good chance of slaying some goblin who breaks in trying to steal, so it's probable that there are going to be more cases of "justifiable homicide," if DC even has such a thing.

Right now it looks as though DC residents are only going to be allowed revolvers, which is a start. Demonizing semi-auto pistols is kinda dumb, and I don't think that will last very long, but in the meantime, if I lived in crime riddled DC, I would be very comforted sleeping next to this.

The reason I think that the impact will be slight is that the Heller decision doesn't allow for carry. Think of the poor mother living in SE having to run out to the store at 9 o'clock at night to pick up baby formula. She can't carry a little .38 in her purse to protect herself in the parking lot, which is unfortunate. Still, her being able to stand her ground against thugs while in her own house is definitely a plus, regardless of all of the huffing and puffing by us folk of the gun about how the Heller decision wasn't a complete win for gun rights.

Think about it. They have had nothing to lawfully defend themselves with for 32 years! DC residents can't even use pepper spray. Now, in their own home, they can unlock the shotgun and actually load the blasted thing. Not only that, but they can have a handgun too! How cool is that?

Some people are saying stuff along the lines of "now criminals will be able to get guns," as if that hasn't been going on for decades now. How can they say that with a straight face? Criminals will continue to buy guns from their criminal friends, and they will probably steal them from citizens as well, but now they have a much better chance of facing grave danger on their next break-in.

Which thug is gonna be the first?

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