Why He Carries a Gun

Mike Adams has an article up at Townhall.com on this Memorial Day entitled Amarillo by Morning (Smith and Wesson on my Mind) that is must read. Mike Adams teaches at the University of North Carolina at Willmington, and for as long as I have been reading his articles, he has had an appreciation of guns and hunting, of fine cigars, and of good whiskey. He has also been a ruthless debunker of the politically correct absurdities of the feminazis and most other "studies" programs. In short, he is a thorough going conservative.  Since Adams makes a reference to George Strait's signature song Amarillo by Morning, I've included it here for your enjoyment.

Today's column talks about a recent trip he made to Amarillo, Texas and an encounter with a person of questionable motives. Adams says he was suspicious of the guy because:

1. He invoked race where it was irrelevant.

2. He falsely claimed to be a member of a noble profession.

3. He pretended to be acting on others’ behalf while he was acting in his own selfish interests.

I have had similar run ins with people of various stripes. The stories told as they approach are always designed to conjure up a flood of emotion, and disarm and distract from the fact that a stranger is approaching by stealth. Once inside your perimeter, you have no idea whether he will be satisfied with merely panhandling, or mugging, or killing. But one thing you do know, race has nothing to do with the situation. Hard luck, bad decisions, or any combination is not unique to any one race.

After recounting his encounter, which ended without pointing his gun, a Smith and Wesson 640 by the way, or shots being fired, he then talks about his experiences carrying concealed:

My experiences as a handgun owner have been no aberration. States passing concealed carry laws have seen significant decreases in predatory crime. Academic studies have also demonstrated that these decreases are statistically significant even after controlling for variables that might otherwise explain the reductions in crime.

To date, there have been 16 refereed studies that have concluded that violent crime goes down as a result of concealed carry laws. About 10 refereed studies have shown the results of concealed carry laws to be inconclusive with regard to violent crime. No refereed studies – I repeat, zero refereed studies – have shown that allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons increases the rate of violent crime.

Adams has his own views on why every time there is a proposed change in concealed carry laws that threatens to loosen the State's grip on concealed carriers, there are cries of blood in the streets. It's because sociologists:

1. They invoke race where it is irrelevant. Too many “social scientists” ignore citizens’ legitimate concerns over their safety and well-being. Those who would like to carry a gun lawfully are often dismissed as having an irrational fear of people or color.

2. They falsely claim to be members of a noble profession. In addition to avoiding doing research on gun ownership, most “social scientists” are not familiar with the results of studies on the topic. To ignore science and hold oneself out as a scientist is simply wrong.

3. They pretend to be acting on others’ behalf while acting in their own selfish interests. Sociologists are opposed to rape. But they are overwhelmingly opposed to concealed carry laws that reduce rape. Clearly, they have decided that they are more interested in preventing an assault on their worldview than in preventing assaults on innocent women.

Indeed.