Following the completion of

his research he wrote a book, "More Guns, Less

Crime." Criminals cause 13,000 deaths annually with

guns; this compared with how many times guns are used for

self-defense is more than enough reason to support and

keep the 2nd Amendment. I looked at several different

sources and have found what is said to be the most

accurate research.

Our Founding Fathers knew

the importance of having an armed citizenry. Guns have

been around since this nation was founded, but there have

not been shootings in the schools until recently. The

movies of today have been polluted with murder, crime,

killing, immorality, and all other types of violence. The

public schools teach kids that they evolved from animals.

We kill animals for food and other purposes, so if they

believe that humans are just animals, why would they

place value on human life?

Guns are not the problem;

the root problem is a moral problem. Taking away guns is

not going to make America a safer society. Just take a

look at what happened in Australia.

One year after gun-owners

were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be

destroyed, including semiautomatic .22 rifles and

shotguns, a program costing the government over 500

million dollars, the results are in. A dramatic increase

in criminal activity has been experienced. Gun control

advocates respond, "Just wait, we'll be safer;

you'll see."

Observable facts after 12

months of data:

Australia-wide, homicides

are up 3.2 percent.

Australia-wide, assaults

are up 8.6 percent.

Australia-wide,

armed-robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent).

In the state of Victoria,

homicides-with-firearms are up 300 percent.

Figures over the previous

25 years show a steady decrease in homicides-with-

firearms.

There has been a dramatic

increase in break-ins-and-assaults-of-the-elderly.

At the time of the ban, the

Prime Minister said, "Self-defense is not a reason

for owning a firearm." From 1910 to present,

homicides in Australia had averaged about 1.8-per-100,000

or lower, a safe society by any standard.

The ban has destroyed

Australia's standings in some international sport

shooting competitions.

The membership of the

Australian Sports Shooting Association has risen to

112,000, a 200 percent increase, in response to the ban

and as an attempt to organize against further controls,

which are expected.

Australian politicians are

on the spot and at a loss to explain how no improvement

in "safety" has been observed after such

monumental effort and expense was successfully expended

in "ridding society of guns." Their response

has been to "wait longer."

We must defend our right to

keep and bear arms.

Michael Brandon

Fayetteville

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