Gun Bans Increase Crime in California

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that made "open carry" of handguns illegal in California. When combined with the fact that "concealed carry" is effectively banned and the fact that California has no second amendment, the people are disarmed. A reminder from wise and studied men:

"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of bearing arms." (Richard Henry Lee, Additional Letters from the Federal Farmer (1788) at 169)

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for few public officials." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 425-426)

"...to disarm the people - that was the best and most effectual way to enslave them." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 380)

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (James Madison, The Federalist Papers #46 at 243-244)

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." (Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers at 184-8)

"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." -- (Thomas Jefferson)

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence ... From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable . . . the very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that is good" (George Washington)

Earlier this year we entered the debate:

"when faced with mortal danger, it is our individual conscience, not the decision of government bureaucrats upon which we should and must rely. To be denied the ability to confront criminal force with righteous force in preservation of one's life and property is unjust." 

Since this decree upon the people, I have seen the brazenness of crime increase in both news reports and by personal witness. People devoid of prospects for jobs, entitled by society, lacking traditional parenting and miseducated by our failed and overburdened schools are now emboldened toward crime to take from the defenseless public. Crime is the only work available. Like zombie hordes they roam the streets in search of victims.

In San Diego, California during the past month:

• A family member was the victim of an attempted car-jacking on a busy street. 
• My house was broken into through a garage door during midday and I caught the man and woman in the act.
• The side gate of my house was broken and the property was trespassed upon.
• A woman stole my car keys while I was working in an office. I apprehended her as she used the alarm to determine which car to steal.

If that is not enough, here are some statistics: 

In the six-month period from October 2011 through March 2012 in Kern County, burglaries increased 20 percent and auto thefts and robberies were up 12 percent over the same period in the previous year, according to a recent probation report. Kern County was already one of the most crime-ridden counties in the state. 

In San Diego the crime rate has increased by 8 percent according to the San Diego Association of Governments.

The number of rapes increased by 26 percent, with 376 reported from January to June. 

Police do not deter crime when criminals are assured by statue that the public will not be capable of resistance.  It is understandable for police officers to want the public disarmed. Police are armed and dealing with people through superior power is simpler than dealing with equals. It is unimaginable that individual police officers may think professional and journeyman criminals fear a regulation that makes their skills easier to apply.

Moreover, police will eventually be disarmed in a society that vilifies lawful gun ownership. It may seem that people would be forced to depend upon police protection, but the public will grow to resent it. Police are not capable of protecting people from criminals because they are not present when crimes are committed. This will cause fear and insecurity toward both criminals and law enforcement. Inevitable calls to disarm police will begin and the legal grounds exist. We live in a county where citizens grant "God given" rights to the government. If we are relieved of a right, so is the government.

Consider how the public views the following story from Los Angeles on 9/11/2012:

Chase Suspect Shot by Police

A possible murder suspect was wounded in a gunbattle with police near downtown Los Angeles tonight after leading them on a chase in a stolen car for more than one hour.

The chase ended at Bixel and Seventh streets about 7:15 p.m., with the suspect apparently being shot after a collision.

The station (KCAL9) reported he pulled out an AK-47 and was shot several times. KCAL9 reported that the man was wanted for a carjacking this morning and a murder in July.

He was texting a friend saying he was not going to to come out of this alive.

The car was initially spotted at Sunset Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue in Echo Park about 6 p.m. by officers who recognized the white car as having been stolen earlier in the day in North Hollywood, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Herrera.

The suspect nearly hit several pedestrians, hit at least one car, ran red lights and occasionally drove on the wrong side of the street.

UPI.com adds:

He fired several shots at police before he was taken down by gunfire and subdued by the K-9.

This story debunks several anti-gun talking points. First, the "semi-automatic assault rifle" AK-47 was used by a criminal who also is accused of grand theft auto and murder. Not only did the handgun ban fail to dissuade the criminal, he used an "assault rifle" against police officers. The criminal was ready to die. Members of the public were not protected from this man through fear of lawful punishment. The only protection available is exactly what police relied upon: "a gunbattle," oh, and a big dog that is trained to attack people.

The public was endangered by a car chase that lasted for more than an hour. The "gunbattle with police" adds to a recent story within another disarmed public that NYPD Gunfire Wounded All 9 People Injured In Empire State Building Shootout. Hopefully, my friends in law enforcement will start to see my point. Public sentiment will turn on you when it cannot relate to, fails to understand and becomes more fearful of guns. Look at the United Kingdom where guns are only issued to special units sometimes compared to SWAT teams.

Lastly, police have a more dangerous job than economists or computer programmers. However, the world we live in is the same. The same threats and dangerous situations surround us. Police seek out these dangerous situations and work to be prepared for the encounters. A disarmed public is increasingly the target of these dangerous situations that now seek us out because we are legally required to be unprepared for the encounter.

Maybe increasing the sanctimonious title "victim" is the goal of these idiotic laws. Advertising that citizens are no longer allowed to carry firearms is an invitation to increased criminal activity. It works with food stamps.