Anyones thoughts on this article?

[SoCalEnthusiast]

http://www.thenation.com/article/combat-vets-destroy-the-nras-heroic-gunslinger-fantasy/

Has this been discussed here? Thoughts? I think some of these studies are tampered with. I mean come on.

[L84CABO]

I'm not going to read that thing because it will only make me angry.

Moreover, I do not care about statistics and data. What I care about is my life and the lives of my family. And if some nut comes into a theater and starts executing people. I want a gun so at least I have a chance of defending our lives.

And if I'm not there and a nut comes in and starts killing people at my kids school or at the shopping mall where my wife and daughter went, I will take my chances on the outcome of a teacher or a civilian with a LTC permit. And I'll pray to god that he or she is willing to step up and try to save the innocents if they are able.

Because I know that if nobody is there, that people are surely going to die until the cops are able to get there. And yea, maybe a LTC carrier will hit an innocent. And maybe even my family member. But I'll take those odds over a blood bath with no resistance.

[SoCalEnthusiast]

Well said L84CABO, and I'm with you. Do you have your LTC, its hard to get it up here in LA & OC Counties.

[robcoe]

Editor’s Note: The original story identified a source as a combat veteran and former Navy SEAL. A records search has since revealed that he significantly exaggerated his military record. His comments have been removed from the article, and the headline has been changed. We apologize to our readers.

Should tell you everything you need to know about the article. Other than that it's just the thoughts of one ATF guy.

[SoCalEnthusiast]

So basically it's all BS?

[atolax25]

Should tell you everything you need to know about the article. Other than that it's just the thoughts of one ATF guy.

You mean inflammatory articles don't do any fact-checking?! GASP!!!

[dustoff31]

So basically it's all BS?

Yes and no. Just because someone has a gun doesn't mean they will prevail over the bad guy. On the other hand, there are plenty of examples where a little old ladies and children did come out on top.


I do think that there is a certain BS factor, or an agenda here in this story however. Everyone can judge for themselves.

http://rafaelnoboa.com/bio

Rafael Noboa y Rivera has been a communications specialist and organizer for a number of political campaigns, including two Presidential campaigns, and has additionally worked for Apple and SEIU. An essayist and public speaker, he was a contributing author to Millennial Manifesto (Basic Books, 2001) and spent much of 2009 and 2010 touring on behalf of Operation FREE, a project of the Truman National Security Project. His media appearances include MSNBC, ABC, Free Speech TV and CNN Radio.

From 2005 to 2010, he also served on both the central and executive committees of the Colorado Democratic Party, during which time the party controlled both chambers of the state house, held every statewide position, and represented five of the state’s seven Congressional districts.

A decorated combat veteran, Noboa y Rivera served in the United States Army for almost seven years from 1999 to 2006, and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He currently resides in New York City.

[Citizen_B]

I have a lot of thoughts on that article but it'd take too long and what would the real point be? No one here is going to debate by taking the "ban all guns" position.

The basic message of the article seems to infer that gun owners are all inadequately trained and will either (1) freeze and not know what to do in a life threatening crisis, or (2) will open fire haphazardly killing innocents in every direction. While I agree gun owners, especially CCW holders, need to be responsible and properly trained (many are), the generalization they are a bigger threat to public safety is preposterous with no evidence provided. The studies they reference don't address their basic premise, but are trying to support a "guns are bad" position. It's the same old angle of people not understanding the difference between correlation and causation and twisting it to support their position.

[SoCalEnthusiast]

Training classes in SoCal are hard to come by. I mean for the regular gun owner. Wouldn't you guys agree?

[liamettocs]

I wasn't going to read the article because it was posted by SCE. The other comments just confirmed my intuition.

[BKinzey]

Training classes in SoCal are hard to come by. I mean for the regular gun owner. Wouldn't you guys agree?

No, I wouldn't. Living in Los Angeles I would run out of money before I could make a dent in the classes offered.

[BakoJ]

One fact that keeps getting missed is that when confronted by LEO or the threat of LEO, these mass shooters off themselves. It stands to reason than an armed citizen firing back in defense of themselves and others may cause the shooter to give up and commit suicide, ending the threat. To me, it would make sense to expand LTC rights or go all out and support Constitutional Carry.

[anothergunnut]

One of the faults is the premise that nobody uses a gun for defensive purpose. The article states "for every lethal shooting in defense of life or property—guns are used to commit 34 murders and 78 suicides, and are the cause of two accidental deaths". This is a fallacy that says that only a lethal self defense shooting counts. Studies have shown as many as 2.5 million defensive uses of guns each year. Most defensive uses do not result in death of the perpetrator but still saves somebody from being a victim.

Although the article mentions that the Secret Service has never shot anybody, it doesn't state that the Secret Service has decided weapons are not needed and disarmed.

[NapalmCheese]

These articles always try to paint CCW holders as wannabe cops. Like the process of getting a CCW suddenly flips a switch in a person causing them to seek out evil doers.

[Sharp Shooter]

I wasn't going to read the article because it was posted by SCE. The other comments just confirmed my intuition.

^^^ This. Plus I generally don't read these types of articles anyway.