The term “gun-violence” is used to blame guns for human behavior in an attempt to push society towards supporting the elimination or destruction of our 2nd Amendment. The narrative and rhetoric are just tools used to achieve those ends.
There is no such thing as “gun violence.” What we are talking about is human violence, but people who believe more gun legislation is good for our society, will ignore the fact that “the person” is responsible for the action, not the gun. Those folks who refuse to succumb to the dishonest rhetoric and false narratives surrounding the gun conversation are starting to speak out.
Violence can only be committed by a person or animal. Violence is a behavior. Putting the word “gun” before the word “violence” is misleading because it creates a premise that doesn’t exist. It creates imagery in the mind that could never occur in reality. Those who profit from this type of rhetoric, need it because if they had to tell the truth and discuss human behavioral issues, they would not have the likes of CNN promoting their sham. Isn’t it interesting that the FBI will list the number of murders and the weapons used by number on their website, giving an accurate breakdown for informative purposes. Yet the anti-gun folks will only focus on gun related deaths and label them, “gun violence.”
Mark Bryant, Founder of the “Gun Violence Archives,” uses this and other similar terms in what would seem an attempt to perpetuate an irrational fear of guns. Mark also claims to have created the term “mass shooting” to qualify four people being hit with a bullet. This is similar to Barack Obama’s executive action to change “mass killing” from four to three people in an attempt to qualify more gun related deaths in his push for overreaching national gun laws. Of course, these terms are used in a way that encourage people to view guns as the problem and redefining the word “mass” (indicating a large quantity) as only 3 is clearly a way to justify the use of rhetoric for the purpose of fear and hype.
Is it a coincidence that those who create this type of anti-gun rhetoric fail to share the fact that guns are used defensively between 1.67 million and 2.5 million times per year in America. Have they not read the studies? Maybe they just don’t want you to read them. Maybe the anti-gun folks should start using the term “gun benevolence,” because for every 1 time a person uses a gun to do harm, there are 174 times when a gun is used to stop an act of violence and potentially save lives.
Those who profit from violence will also claim they want to save lives but in order to do that, they need you to support illegal violations of the 2nd Amendment. Portraying themselves as wanting to prevent suicide is often a good tool to emotionally coerce large numbers of people. Many of these folks will claim that most suicides wouldn’t exist had a gun not been present. Bloomberg funded “The Trace” claimed that “Research indicates that red flag laws and waiting periods are more effective at reducing firearm suicide.”
Do we ever stop to question this and other similar claims? Do we ever stop to ask how they are tracking suicides that never actually happened? How is it possible to measure something that never occurred? Is it likely that a person intent on killing themself would simply decide not to do it because they couldn’t find a gun? How do they know that even if a person attempted suicide and failed by other means that they would have gone through with it if they had a gun? The truth is they don’t, yet they hypothesize so you will believe that suicides would be reduced in the absence of guns even though we have data showing that not to be true. Australia is a perfect example of the suicide rate not being affected after a gun ban.
The suicide angle helps them portray themselves as caring, while guilting those who don’t know any better into supporting gun restrictions. The “gun violence” narrative helps those lacking critical thought believe that guns are lurking around every corner just waiting to attack.
About Dan Wos, Author – Good Gun Bad Guy
Dan Wos is available for Press Commentary. For more information contact PR HERE
Dan Wos is a nationally recognized 2nd Amendment advocate, Host of The Loaded Mic and Author of the “GOOD GUN BAD GUY” book series. He speaks at events, is a contributing writer for many publications, and can be found on radio stations across the country. Dan has been a guest on Newsmax, the Sean Hannity Show, Real America’s Voice, and several others. Speaking on behalf of gun-rights, Dan exposes the strategies of the anti-gun crowd and explains their mission to disarm law-abiding American gun-owners.
In my 78 years of life I have never seen or heard of a gun jumping up by it’s self and shooting someone or something without the help of a person I would bet my life that I can put a loaded gun on a table and it will not hurt anyone without a stupid human using it
Thanks Gene!
That is why we need ‘Glock switches’. Every time my Glock tries to go on a mass killin’, violence lovin’ rampage, I just pull out my ‘Glock Switch’ and beat the hell out of it. It soon learns not to go off shootin’ by itself!
Another useful canard used by anti-gunners (and older than “gun violence”) is “The Gun Culture”. This is the most antagonistic to gun rights. It implies, guns somehow are drawn to a particular element of society, usually dangerous or sociopathic. Gun owners know, we’re the quintessence of diversity. Guns are possessed by a whole array of Americans. There is no typical gun owner.
I have to agree with the subject of gun Violence. I lay every night with a loaded gun on my nightstand, and an MSR hanging over my head. Night after night for years, they have never once violently attacked me, or even attacked me in any way. nor have i seen them have any violent tendencies toward me or anybody else for that matter, without human intervention…. lol
You’ve endured because you practice special awareness and caution in avoiding danger. All in addition to being armed. This is the essence of what was preached by Jeff Cooper in, “Principles of Personal Defense”. With this and some prayers, you’re good to go.
The same may be said of the term “Gun Safety Laws”. There are no gun safety laws, only gun control laws.
Exactly! Can I use that? Great awareness.
Thank you Dan I have been saying this all along . NO SUCH THING AS GUN VIOLENCE ! Guns are an inanimate object and incapable of violence . Humans on the other hand can be very violent .
Thank you!
I have been saying this for years (decades?) – but that ambiguous term still gets used all of the time. At least many (most?) gun writers are now using “gun violence” instead of using the antis version so I guess we are making some progress. I have also asked on numerous forums for someone to determine who first coined the term and so far no one has tracked that person down. I posed the same challenge regarding “assault weapon” and that person was tracked down – art Agnos in kalypornia in the early 70s. That doesn’t prevent the antis from… Read more »
Some points to ponder: I’ve studied our legal system in detail for decades and I have some comments on the gun laws. 1] No state constitution grants a state the power to make and impose any gun laws on their true citizens. 2] Some states bills of rights actually forbid it – yet we have gun laws in the states. 3] The federal gov is not granted the power to impose any gun laws on the true citizens of the states – yet we have federal gun laws in the states. Since the above is true, where is the authority… Read more »
The late Col Jeff Cooper commented in 1958, “Killing is a matter of will, not means. You cannot control the intent by passing laws about the means.” “If you take all the guns off the streets you will still have a crime problem. However, If you take all the Criminals off the street you cannot have a gun problem.” – Col. Cooper “That is why our masters in Washington are so anxious to disarm us. They are not afraid of criminals. They are afraid of a populace which cannot be subdued by tyrants.” – Jeffy on a roll. “What are… Read more »