Blowback erupts from ‘Guns, fear’
Published: June 21, 2009
Another open letter to Nelson Graves:
Mr. Graves, we have read your column, “Guns, fear being stockpiled” (June 11) and will point out some very big errors in your thinking.
First, since when is a 10 percent increase in anything a large increase? That means that in 2007 if 1,000 people owned guns, then in 2009, 1,100 people owned guns.
Next, there is no fear of a race war but fear of a president stating he would restrict ownership of guns and, if not guns, then ammunition. You, Mr. Graves, can blame our president for the run on guns. He became the best gun salesman of the year.
Next, where are the data that only whites are buying and stockpiling firearms? We really don’t think you can support that argument. In fact, where is the support for any of your rhetoric?
Next, the National Rifle Association does not give us the right to bear arms. That is given to us by the Second Amendment and only after background checks and other legal requirements. On that same subject, the FBI does not run background checks, the state police do. Be assured, we are legal.
Now, we know many people who own and carry firearms. Every one of them is trained and would never pull their weapons unless they were in fear for their lives. In your mind, every white person who owns a firearm is afraid of blacks, Hispanics and Arab terrorists. We think you are the one who is paranoid.
Here is some reading for you: The StateHealthFacts.org Web page. It states that in 2005, for every 100,000 people in Virginia, 11.5 were killed by firearms. More people were killed in car accidents. Do you intend to take away cars? There were 181 people killed in gun deaths in Washington, D.C., in 2007, and the district has strict gun laws.
The Volokh Conspiracy, Volokh.com, states that from 2001 to 2005, children 1-7 were more apt to drown than be killed by accidental gunfire.
Lastly, Mr. Graves, your statement, “Be mindful of what you wish for,” reeks of racism.
Are you saying that whites should be afraid of persons of color?
Maynard Allen Altizer
Waynesboro
Jerry L. Gum
Waynesboro
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I have noticed numerous other than “White people” at the few gun shows I have attended since Obama has taken office and would like to see Mr. Graves produce data on that in his next article. But would that be racist if we looked at that data?
The truth (and data) shows that areas with “More guns” in the posession of law abiding citizens the crime rate is consistantly lower. A few weeks ago a fruit loop walked into the front door of a major museum in a city with the most strict gunlaws in the nation and shot\killed the first armed security officer he saw. The other armed security officer returned fire and kept the CRIMINAL from killing more people. What if there was not another armed security officer there or he too was killed? The CRIMINAL would have then been able to walk freely and killed as many as he had ammo for. Those law abiding citizens would NOT have been able to defend themselves or protect their families because of the strict gunlaws in Washington D.C.
The fact is CRIMINALS do not pay attention to laws and strict gunlaws harm the law abiding citizen. Mr. Graves needs to write about that…
Before President Bush left office the rule for allowing citizens with Concealed Weapons Permits to carry concealed in National Parks was allowed. Soon as President Obama took office this has been reversed until the “Environmental” study can be done. How much do you want to bet that lead will be determined to be toxic or dangerous and law abiding citizens will not be allowed to defend themselves on the trail when the CRIMINAL ignores the law, as they have done in the past, and proceeds to inflict harm on the innocent?
Maybe we will be able to protect ourselves with rocks or a stick until that is deemed wrong also…
I have known Mr. Altizer and Mr. Gum for many years. I know them to be upright and honorable people. Mr Graves on the other hand is a racist of the worse kind. I have many close friends that are black and with Mr. Graves spreading his racist trash he has me wondering if given the chance would they be willing to cause me harm when I have offered nothing but friendship to them. I have some good advice for the black people in our communities. If you think that white people are looking at you out of the corner of their eyes you have no one to thank but Nelson Graves.
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