WASHINGTON - Second Amendment advocate and author John Lott asks a compelling question about every American's right to carry which the Illinois legislature should ask itself as it prepares a bill to meet the Seventh District Court of Appeals' demand to pass a conceal and carry law before June 9th: Can the poor be trusted to defend themselves?
While police are the single most important factor in reducing crime, the police themselves recognize that they almost always arrive at the crime scene after the crime has been committed. But criminals are deterred by the possibility that victims have guns. And if indeed a criminal does strike, threatening to shoot is the safest course of action, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey
But Democrats seem to think that waiting for police to arrive from a 911 call is good enough for the poor.
But leave it to a Chicago politician to come up with yet another way to make it difficult and more expensive for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.
Next week Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) will introduce legislation that will ban the production of inexpensive guns in the United States. While it is true that some criminals use these guns, these smaller, lighter handguns are also ideal for self-defense. And of course they are particularly helpful for poor would-be victims who can't afford more expensive guns.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/03/12/can-poor-people-be-trusted-with-guns/#ixzz2NMozXDDO