Gun Control Buzzwords

Gun Control vs Gun Safety

Have you noticed the smiling, smarmy, manipulating Obama has switched tactics, pontificating emotionally about Gun Safety where in the past he was hammering on Gun Control?  The anti-gun people realized the catchphrase Gun Control had taken on a negative connotation among Americans as poll after poll has shown Americans in fact, do not want more gun control.  To combat the association, the gun control people have decided to switch to the words Gun Safety so as to give Americans a warm fuzzy feeling, while at the same time attempting to ridicule Pro-Second Amendment supporters by declaring to the media that gun owners are against Gun Safety. Of course, we are not against gun safety, but we are against Gun Control disguised as Gun Safety.  


Common Sense Gun Legislation

Speaking the words "common sense" isn't proof you have "common sense."  Is it "common sense" to leave our children unprotected at schools across this Nation?  Is it "common sense" to believe a sign posted on the door of any establishment will keep the bad guys away? Is it "commons sense" to to ask a law abiding citizen in Kansas to give up his Rights because of a sociopath in Connecticut?  Is it "common sense" to spend millions upon millions of Americans taxpayer dollars in an attempt to outlaw a sporting rifle like the AR-15. which is involved in less than .033% of homicides?  Is it "common sense" to blame the gun for violence instead of the people behind the trigger?  Is it "common sense" to ignore the history of psychotropic drug use in active shooter / rampage shooters who commit heinous atrocities?


"Common Sense"... it's not for everyone!


Gun Violence

Hillary Clinton, during the first Democratic debate, stated "... We must act to prevent gun violence that's plaguing our society. ... America simply cannot accept as “normal” 30,000 gun deaths every year."  

There is so much wrong with that statement it's hard to know where to begin.  There is no such thing as "Gun Violence" - there is only violence.  A person commits an act of violence, which tool he uses to facilitate that act of violence is (or should be) of no real concern.  The tool does not demand action from the individual.  The tool can only answer to the demands of the individual.

The term "Gun Violence" is used to affect an emotional response, as are most of the Buzzwords the pro gun-control people use.  In the context of 30,000 gun deaths a year - 8,500 homicides + 22,000 suicides by gun- the Left attempts to use the 22,000 suicides by gun to move the argument forward by the sheer volume of deaths.  Calling 22,000 suicides an act of gun violence vs an act of desperation is not only ludicrous and sad but takes mental health out of the equation, as if the souls of the remaining 22,000 deaths by suicide - a total of 44,000 - don't count because they weren't committed by gun.  It strives to invalidate the problems of the mentally disturbed by attacking the tool in an attempt to convince the public the real problem is the gun, the tool the lost soul used to end their pain and suffering. 

Violence by gun is perpetrated by someone who is ready to harm another, not themselves.  And when two people have pulled their sidearms, only one is committing an act of violence, the other is defending himself against that act of violence.


Mass Shootings

Sandy Hook, Charleston, Aurora, Washington Navy Yard...  the names are ingrained within us. They are what we once called Active Shooter or Rampage Shooter situations - but that has changed.  Now, whenever we have a mentally unstable person entering a place with the sole purpose of killing as many as they can in the shortest amount of time, the Left and the supporting media talks about the 100's of mass shootings that have taken place over the last couple of years.

The problem, once again, is they have twisted fact into fiction and traded words for emotion in an attempt to blur the line between a Rampage shooting and say... a gang shooting in Chicago, to sway the American public towards their manifesto.


They have taken any shooting / homicide that includes more than 3 or people and added those statistics to the Active Shooter / Rampage Shooter situations.

When you hear of another Mass Shooting at a school - committed by mentally disturbed person - you envision children screaming for Mommy, eyes wide and afraid, and when you are told this is the 123rd Mass Shooting in the last six months, your heart pounds, your anger rises, your frustration seethes - and this is what they want... this is what they are counting on.  They don't want you to know that Active Shooter / Rampage Shooter situations are rare, because that would harm their emotion driven argument.  No, it is much easier to bury the numbers along with the dead from Gang street violence, Drug Wars, Robberies and other violent crimes... they mix the mentally disturbed individual with those gangbangers shooting indiscriminately into a crowd and count on you making the assumption these Mass Shooting statistics are school shootings.

Assault Weapons and High Capacity Magazines

First off, the supposed "Assault Weapons" Left wing politicians, main stream media and gun-control advocates talk about are actually Sporting Rifles.  These rifles are used for hunting, sport shooting and home protection, just to name a few.  They are not fully automatic rifles that can shoot in a spray of ammo, but are semi-automatic -  shooting one round with one pull of the trigger - the same as any semi-auto handgun.  The image of scary black guns with a twisted demon raking a classroom of children is exactly what the gun-control people want you to think.

And high capacity magazines?  A 30 round magazine is standard capacity.  The fact of the matter is most Active Shooters / Rampage Shooters fire at a rate that is less than a bolt action rifle.

The Anti's image of that scary black weapon is what they want you to see in your head.


Weapon of Mass Destruction

This is a Weapon of Mass Destruction...

...this is not.

Gun Show Loophole


"40% of all guns sold at gun shows don't include a background check!"

This statistic is gathered from a rather dubious poll taken by the National Institute of Justice in 1993-94 using a sample size of 251 citizens - That's right two-hundred-and-fifty-one!  That's one hell of a sampling size - and it was taken over 20 years ago.  The poll was actually 34% with a +/- factor of 6%.  So, of course, pro-gun control advocates latched on to the 40% number as gospel, while in fact, it could have been 28% (and reading the poll itself, the numbers could have been appreciably smaller.)

This same poll shows that only 3.9% of all guns purchased in America were bought at gun shows.  So, if 3.9% of all guns were purchased at the aforementioned gun shows, and even using the high end of 40% were without background checks, then only 1.56% of all guns bought in the United States were without background checks at gun shows.  If you figure the low end of 28% (34% - 6%) then that number falls to 1.09% of all guns.  That, for all practical purposes, is one-in-a-hundred.   

And how many of those one-in-a-hundred are sold to maniacs? Bureau of Justice Polls of prison inmates in 1991 and 1997 showed that less than 1% (0.6 and 0.7) of guns used in crimes were bought at gun shows. As you can see, in a worst case scenario it becomes an infinitesimal number - less than 1 in every 10,000 guns sold at Gun Shows.

 Hmm... can you say "Mountain out of a molehill?"
[After this "fact" was posted, the Washington Post gave King Obama "Three Pinocchio's" for his continued use of his 40% stat, even though he knows its a lie.]

NRA Lobby for Gun Manufacturers

The Gun-Control politicians would have you believe the big, bad NRA has Politicians in their pockets and it's all in the name of those gosh darn gun manufacturers.  Here's something the anti's hate...The NRA fights for the Second Amendment Rights of all American citizens, even those who don't want them.  The NRA has over 5 million members, paying their dues and kicking in more to the

coffers when they can afford it.  And why?

Because the NRA membership believes what the NRA is doing is right and just.  The NRA fights because it's membership says to.  The gun manufacturers don't need the NRA to fight for them. Obama has made sure of that with his threats of gun control, causing a run on guns and ammunition that has left manufacturers months behind in delivering supplies to American gun owners.

And if you think we are only giving money to the NRA, you better think twice.  Here is a very small list of National Second Amendment groups fighting every day for our Constitutional Rights.

Gun Owners of America (GOA)
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
National Association for Gun Rights
Second Amendment Sisters
National Rifle Association (NRA)
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Women Against Gun Control
Firearms Policy Coalition

Add in groups that work in each State and you can see, just changing the buzzwords ain't going to cut it.

And why do Politicians vote with the NRA?  Because they know if they vote against the Second Amendment, in all likelihood their Constituents will vote them out of office at the first opportunity.  Kinda' like how it's supposed to work when Politicians ignore their Electors.  And if money was the reason the NRA was so strong, why does Billionaire Michael Bloomberg - after throwing millions into the anti-gun fight - take beating after beating in elections he has funded?

Buzzwords... just one more way the anti's fight.  Stay Strong.

UPDATED 5/3/16

In case you truly wonder whether or not the Anti's push is a concerted effort to change the meanings of words to suit their propaganda, there is this...

Pavlich: The left’s latest bogus ‘gun safety’ narrative

...in which comedian Amy Schumer - Cousin of Democrat New York Senator and Anti Gun leader Chuck Schumer - tweeted this after performing a skit that broke every rule of gun safety known to man...

“Hey journalists thanks for all the heat from last nights #endgunviolence message. Please use the term ‘gun safety’ instead of ‘gun control,’” Schumer tweeted after the episode aired (emphasis added).

Keep your guard up because the punches never stop and the strategies always change.

Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly
Hipshot

If you enjoyed this article, you might like my new book -Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment, a collection from the New Gunner Journal - It is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  If you have any questions about Concealed Carry or are sitting on the fence, this would make a nice present to learn about the lifestyle and those who live it.

Order now... "Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment"

Lt Col. Jeff Cooper and his Cooperisms

John Dean "Jeff" Cooper - U.S. Marine and expert on the use of small arms - was a pioneer of modern gun-fighting techniques.  In 1976 he founded the American Pistol Institute, teaching shotgun, rifle and handgun classes to civilians, LEO and military alike.

The Lt Col favored large caliber guns, preferably semi-auto - the Weaver stance - the flash sight picture - the draw stroke - and the compressed surprised trigger break.

 Cooper was a devotee of the M1A 1911 semi auto pistol.  Designed by John Moses Browning and the workhorse sidearm for the US Military for over 70 years, the 1911 is still used to this day, by Marine Corps Special Operations, F.B.I. Hostage Rescue Team and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment—Delta (Delta Force). 

Anyone who has carried a 1911 should know it was Cooper who devised the Conditions of Readiness for this particular gun.

• Condition 4: Chamber empty, empty magazine, hammer down.
• Condition 3: Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down.
• Condition 2: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down.
• Condition 1: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety on.
• Condition 0: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety off.

 Colonel Cooper felt the ideal carry condition for the 1911 was in Condition 1 - "Cocked and Locked"

 

  






















Of course he is also known for the introduction of the conditions of awareness...

The following is from The Carry Book: Minnesota Edition, 2011:^[6]

• White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."
• Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself". You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to shoot today". You don't have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, "I might have to shoot."
• Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot that person today", focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that person does "X", I will need to stop them". Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.
• Red: Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. "If 'X' happens I will shoot that person" — 'X' has happened, the fight is on.

  

Kahr CW45 Review

Just one look at Kahr's CW45 and you realize this is a stripped down, no-holds barred combat pistol.  The highly aggressive stippling on the back and front strap of Kahr's polymer frame grips lends assurance to the thought of sweaty, highly stressed hands in unforgiving situations.  Though I've heard people say they had problems shooting more than a mag or two, due to the aggressiveness of the stippling on their hands, I found this pistol to be a joy to shoot - even after 100 rounds.

The CW45 is the "Value" model from Kahr, the inexpensive version of the P45 with the Kahr name and emblem rolled onto the slide vs engraved - an MIM slide stop - a non-dove tailed, pinned front sight - and arrives in a cardboard box with only one mag.  The gun comes from the factory with a mirror polished feed ramp.

Upon opening, you realize the fit and finish is superb and though top heavy (as to be expected with big bore guns with polymer frames) it feels terrific in the hand - well balanced, light (21.7 oz empty) and ergonomically pleasing.  Continuing as a combat pistol, it is devoid of any manual safety, has an extended mag release and a crisp, striker fired, stage free double action trigger described by Kahr as being accomplished "... by means of a system in which a trigger stroke of approximately 0.7 inch rotates a cam that then unlocks the spring-loaded striker safety and draws the striker to full cock position before releasing it to fire the pistol."  For some, the downside of this trigger will be the very long reset - releasing nearly all the way forward.  For me it's not a big deal, as trigger reset isn't a part of the training I do, something I don't much think about.

Out of the box, racking the slide takes a lot of effort and is certainly the most difficult I have experienced with the few guns I have used.  I have large hands and racking the slide was punishing without a decent grip - as could be seen after the rear sight gouged the webbing and palm of my hand when I lost control of the slide.  I will say this... Kahr suggests 200 rounds downrange to break in the gun, and after 100 rounds, the slide was much easier to manipulate and now, I'm sure it will improve with use.

Field stripping the gun is a bit of a pain.  After aligning the witness marks, you will need a dowel or other pointed object to push the slide stop out.  This sounds easy enough, but is difficult to do with one hand holding the slide in place while turning over the gun and pressing from the back side with a tool.  Once the slide stop moves, you still won't be able to jiggle it out without using a flat edge to pry under the piece to remove it.  After freeing the slide stop, you will then need to point the gun in a safe direction and dry fire to release the slide.  Once that is done, it's everything back to normal.  I for one don't like having to use tools to do a field strip and I'm hoping the slide stop will start freeing up with more rounds down range and several more cleanings, allowing me to push it out by hand.  Here is a video of how to adjust the slide stop spring, which may allow easier removal of the slide stop, but which may screw with the consistency of the slide stop doing its job... We'll see.

A unique characteristic on the Kahr - which further affirms this carry piece as a 'combat pistol' - is the users inability to release the slide stop on an empty magazine.  This design is intended to give you an immediate tactile signal that your gun is unloaded - which would classify as a colossal 'fail' when carrying.

Finally, one more aspect you will notice is the sights.  They aren't conventional three-dot sights, but a white dot on the front, sitting atop a vertical white line on the drift adjustable rear sight - often referred to as 'dotting the i'.

You can order the Kahr CW45 with either a 6 round or 7 round mag.  I chose the 6 rounder because it sits flush to the magwell, where the 7 round extends another 1/2".  I did buy two extra 7 round mags for carry on the off hand side.  I found, like everything else on this Kahr, the mags were very tight (strong springs) and were difficult to load to the maximum - you either use a mag loader or just muscle them in.

At the range, due to time constraints, I was only able to put two boxes down range and even though Kahr recommends 200 rounds for break-in, I am comfortable with the sidearm after just half that amount.  The gun ran flawlessly with nary a hiccup for the session.

After firing off mag number one my first impression was this gun is a surprisingly soft shooter with very light and balanced recoil - for a .45.  I own and shoot an ATI 1911 Commander and have shot my sons G-30 among others and the Kahr was tame by comparison.  This is probably due to Kahr's "patented 'offset barrel' design [which] places the trigger mechanism beside the barrel lug, raising the shooter's hand closer to the center line of the bore. This, with the ergonomically designed grips, results in a remarkable degree of shooting comfort and control with reduced muzzle flip and felt recoil."

I would have to agree - soft and quick to reacquire the target.  A real joy to shoot.

After the first mag, it was plain to see I was shooting low.  Mag #2 was spent getting a better feel for the 'dot the i' sights, while by the end of the third mag, I not only had adapted to the sight picture, but I found I really like it.  Just. Dot. The. I.  Simple.

Reloading and continuing left me with a sense of confidence and satisfaction as the gun handled better than I could have expected.  No FTF, FTE, jams or mishaps.  Just click, bang - the six pound trigger feeling smooth and clean every time.

The ejected casings flew back over my right shoulder in a low, flat, hard line that was far different than the higher, looping arc of other guns I've fired.  These whizzed passed my head at ear level like a Steve Dalkowski fastball.  I was plunked once in the forehead, the shell casing bouncing away, my forehead none the worse for wear.

The only real hiccup was self induced.  I mentioned the extended mag release, and I was introduced to it - rather ignominiously -  with the very first pull of the trigger.  I attempted to fire the second round, only to realize the gun hadn't chambered the round.  Why?  Because my right thumb had inadvertently pressed down and released the mag. Although the mag didn't drop to the table, it was resting freely on the last finger of my left hand.

At this point I stopped, reset my grip and took notice of how this might be avoided.  Truthfully, it was
just a matter of being aware of the release and without much further thought, I didn't have this problem again.  I will continue to work with the pistol at home, just to further ingrain the feel of the correct hold, as no one wants to be in a bad situation and have the mag drop out when its most needed... no one wants to be Barney Fife.

It ran everything I put through it - PMC, Winchester White Box and my Hydra-shoks.

All in all, this has quickly become my favorite carry pistol.  It is now mated to an Alien Gear 1.0 holster, which I'm not too happy with.  I have another IWB holster (non-hybrid) due any day now.  The gun is light, easy to carry and a joy to shoot and shoot accurately and it goes 'click bang' every time.

Kahr CW45... I 'm sold on it.


UPDATE 5/4/2016

Went to the range and with only a total of 250 rounds downrange, the spring in the six round mag broke.  Kahr's price on a new spring is $12.50 + shipping, so I took a spring from an old 1911 mag and used that.  It works fine. (1911 mags will work in Kahr's cw45, though the slide may not lock back when the mag is empty.)


Price - $335.00 Buds Guns

Specs
Caliber: .45 ACP
Capacity: 6+1
Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.64", conventional rifling, 1 - 16.38 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 6.32"
Height: 4.8"
Slide Width: 1.01"
Weight: Pistol 19.7 oz., Magazine 2 oz.
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
Finish: Black polymer frame, matte stainless steel slide

My new book -Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment, a collection from the New Gunner Journal - is now available at Lulu.com, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  If you have any questions about Concealed Carry or are sitting on the fence, this would make a nice Christmas present to learn about the lifestyle and those who live it.

Order now... "Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment"

Zombies, Cops, Criminal Protection Zones, Vigilence & Free Stuff

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No one cares that you are carrying. No one is looking.  No one will notice.  They are modern Zombies! They are too busy with their very important lives.  They have their noses buried in IPads, Kindles and phones.  They wear ear buds that silence the world around them and they wander aimlessly without the slightest hint of awareness.  The only people looking are other people carrying and as one of those, I can honestly say
that since carrying began, I have yet to positively identify someone who was carrying.  I completely believe that if I wore a black shirt, black slacks, black holster and a black gun, I could open carry and it would be sometime before someone noticed.

Relax, do your due diligence and you will be fine.  For everyone else?  Situational awareness is a beautiful thing.


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I respect LEO the same way I respect Fireman, Military etc., Those people look in the mirror in the morning and say "Today I will put my life on the line for a stranger."
That is noble and the stuff of legends.  But when you abuse those you are supposed to be serving, all that goodwill is lost in the wind.

If an LEO doesn't like the job or can't handle the vagaries of the job, then they should find another.  In the end, that's all it is... a job.  I like most of the LEO I know, they are good people - make no mistake.  But that being said, the whole "there are a lot of good cops out there" doesn't work for me.

A good cop is only a good cop if he is stopping the bad cops.  Turn in the bad cop when they've done something that offends the public trust.  Good cops should stop the bad cop when they see them overstepping, knowing that the public trust is failed when the good cop commits a "sin of omission" by not standing up for citizens when bad cops go awry.  If an LEO wants the public to respect and back them, the citizenry needs to know that that LEO respects the citizen and is willing to back them when a bad cop situation happens. There is nothing worse than watching a video of a bad cop abusing a citizen, while the good cop stands and watches.

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Like everyone else who is pro Second Amendment, I am frustrated and aggravated every time I see that stupid No Guns sign.  But here is the thing... if the Knucklehead who owns the joint doesn't want

me there, then the Knucklehead who owns the joint shouldn't have to have me there.  It's his investment, it's his money, it's his decision.

I would love to see someone open a Concealed Carry Education seminar that traveled to businesses or  groups of business people to give them the lowdown, the facts, the studies of those who Conceal Carry and how the law pertains to them (I'm sure many are acting on bad information) and include a study of the dollars lost through "signing" their place of business, show them the error of their ways, so to speak.  But beyond that?

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I'm one of those people who was raised to take personal responsibility for my decisions and my actions.  If I don't want to disarm, then I don't go into a business that is posted with the No Guns sign.  If I don't want to slip and fall, I don't go where the sign says it's wet and slippery.  And if I should happen to decide that the risk of my actions is acceptable to me, and then I am injured, you won't find me looking around for someone else to blame.  One of the core arguments for Concealed Carry is that we, as a group, are responsible people.  We get angry and frustrated with others intolerance of our lifestyle and Rights.  Yet we are intolerant of private businesses who have the right to post.  I just don't understand that line of thinking.

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I have no trouble with most things people say as long as there isn't any malicious intent.  And to be honest, I don't much care if anyone is offended.  Using the word offended doesn't give us some magic power to curb other peoples thoughts and words.

But if I am going to be called something derogatory, I prefer "Cotton-headed ninny muggins."

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As far as fighting anti-gunners is concerned - Vigilance is the key.  They will never stop.  They will never cease looking for a new angle to chip away at our Constitutional Rights.  

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The TSA has 47,000 agents.  How many terrorists have they caught?  ZERO.  How many agents have been terminated for theft? 400.  Total cost of TSA so far?  7.5 Billion.  Lets cut that first.

Social Security?  Find some way to start fazing it out, moving to private accounts. I don't need the Government to tell me how much money I should save, or if I should save.  Why?  Because I'm responsible for myself and my retirement, not the Government.

IRS?  straight tax across the board for everyone. Period. No loopholes, no incentives. A one page tax form at the end of the year.  Then? Start paring down the IRS.

DEA?  One trillion spent on the drug war since the mid sixties... How is that working out for you?  Prohibition doesn't work - Alcohol, drugs, guns.  You'd think people would understand that by now  Legalize all drugs and you don't need the DEA... Sayanara.

And thanks, but I will decide where my money goes.  Not the Government.  If anyone wants to give their money to schooling, knock yourself out.  If I want to give mine to St Judes?  Thanks but that's my decision.  I'll decide whats important for my money. No more bailouts.  No more funding of other Countries.  Enough of taking my money and sending it where you want it to go.

I love how I may be considered greedy or a bad guy because a I don't want to pay for higher education (or any other gubmint programs), but those who want to reach into my pocket, take the money that I worked for and give it to a charity they think is important, consider themselves to be a giving and noble person with higher moral standards than I.

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I definitely think Government needs to get out of education.  With the government guaranteeing
loans, the schools are able to raise their rates.  What do they care if the student can't pay when they know the taxpayer will cough up the money.  It's guaranteed, free money! (Read that as taxpayer.)   When there are no guarantees, the students will either go to a smaller college, causing four year colleges to lower their rates to entice students to attend, or students will stop going to four year colleges and do two years at a junior college before moving up to the big leagues, again, dropping costs.

Or they won't go to school at all and maybe take up a trade - and as the saying goes, "the world needs ditch diggers too."

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Crime Rates - The Lying Media and How It Affects Us

The mass perception of the USA as a country seething with crime appears to be - at first glance - an incontestable truth.  This supposed truth is thrust into our homes by a news hungry media who broadcast the most gruesome, debauched and despicable aspects of life in the USA twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Death and destruction permeates our existence as a matter of daily discourse - reaching into our minds, playing with our emotions, bending our will, depressing us, taunting us, holding our very souls hostage with a frightening montage of dead children, grieving families, flashing police lights, burning buildings, riots in the streets, yellow crime scene tape, dour newscasters and pompous politicians looking for someone - or thing - to blame, so they may make the evening broadcast and further their personal agenda.

But are we truly a more violent and crime ridden Country than we were years ago?  Has it all gone to hell?  Is this Country a big, bad scary place?

In a word?  No.

When many of us were young, before electronic media was so prevalent, our news came in three ways - journalism, television and radio - and it wasn't a constant in our lives.  Most of us listened to the radio in the morning, hearing the news along with sports, weather and music.  At work, we worked!  No laptops or cell phones.  Newspapers had a morning edition and a Five Star Final evening edition.  Then we went home for dinner before watching the 10:00 news and then Johnny Carson.

Our news came from what we perceived to be trusted sources while images and video were self censored by the broadcast outlets.

Now?  The perception of runaway crime explodes like projectile vomiting from a myriad of broadcast outlets, not the three or four we had long ago, and these outlets are forced to fill countless hours of empty air - and does so with an aggressive onslaught of crime riddled pictures, videos and voiced opinions - never mind the facts, just get the story out, speculate ad-nauseum, grab the ratings and fix any wrongs by backpedaling tomorrow.

We are buried in a self-induced tidal wave of information that washes over us while surfing the internet, from sources of questionable intent... and content.  Conjecture, speculation and bombastic opinion disguised as news bears down on us from every electronic gadget made by man - or so it seems.  Texts. Updates. Tweets. Blogs. Nowadays, the business of news is like a two headed snake attempting to eat itself.

But how do we quantify if crime is worse... or better?

In the statistics below - compiled by the  Disaster Center using the  FBI Crime Statistics page - you might be surprised to learn our current Murder Rate is not only at its lowest since 1960 - the beginning of the FBI Stat Page - but in fact is lower than any time dating back to 1957 and to be precise, would be lower than the rate in 1950!

All violent crime reached a relative high between 1980 and 1992 before tailing off.  In the last 20+ years, violent crime has fallen better than 50%, leaving our Country a much safer, saner place than the main stream (and not so main stream) media would have you believe.

The murder rate reached a high of 10.2 per 100,000 in 1980 vs the current rate of 4.5 per 100,000 - again, lower that at anytime since 1957.

Rape climbed to a high of  42.8 per 100,000 in 1992 before falling to 25.2 per 100,000 in 2013, its lowest rate since 1973.

Aggravated Assault's high was also in 1992  - 441.8 -  while it now sits at 229.1 per 100,000, lowest since 1974. 

The total violent crime rate hit a high of 758.1 per 100,000 in 1992 and has now dropped to 367.9 per 100,000 - its lowest since 1970!

					Forcible	Aggravated
Year	Population		Violent	Murder	Rape	assault
1960	179,323,175		160.9	5.1	9.6	86.1
1961	182,992,000		158.1	4.8	9.4	85.7
1962	185,771,000		162.3	4.6	9.4	88.6
1963	188,483,000		168.2	4.6	9.4	92.4
1964	191,141,000		190.6	4.9	11.2	106.2
1965	193,526,000		200.2	5.1	12.1	111.3
1966	195,576,000		220.0	5.6	13.2	120.3
1967	197,457,000		253.2	6.2	14.0	130.2
1968	199,399,000		298.4	6.9	15.9	143.8
1969	201,385,000		328.7	7.3	18.5	154.5
					Forcible	Aggravated
Year	Population		Violent	Murder	Rape	assault
1970	203,235,298		363.5	7.9	18.7	164.8
1971	206,212,000		396.0	8.6	20.5	178.8
1972	208,230,000		401.0	9.0	22.5	188.8
1973	209,851,000		417.4	9.4	24.5	200.5
1974	211,392,000		461.1	9.8	26.2	215.8
1975	213,124,000		487.8	9.6	26.3	231.1
1976	214,659,000		467.8	8.7	26.6	233.2
1977	216,332,000		475.9	8.8	29.4	247.0
1978	218,059,000		497.8	9.0	31.0	262.1
1979	220,099,000		548.9	9.8	34.7	286.0
					Forcible	Aggravated
Year	Population		Violent	Murder	Rape	assault
1980	225,349,264		596.6	10.2	36.8	298.5
1981	229,146,000		594.3	9.8	36.0	289.7
1982	231,534,000		571.1	9.1	34.0	289.1
1983	233,981,000		537.7	8.3	33.7	279.2
1984	236,158,000		539.2	7.9	35.7	290.2
1985	238,740,000		556.6	8.0	37.1	302.9
1986	240,132,887		620.1	8.6	38.1	347.4
1987	243,400,000		609.7	8.3	37.4	351.3
1988	245,807,000		637.2	8.4	37.6	370.2
1989	248,239,000		663.1	8.7	38.1	383.4
					Forcible	Aggravated
Year	Population		Violent	Murder	Rape	assault
1990	248,709,873		731.8	9.4	41.2	424.1
1991	252,177,000		758.1	9.8	42.3	433.3
1992	255,082,000		757.5	9.3	42.8	441.8
1993	257,908,000		746.8	9.5	41.1	440.3
1994	260,341,000		713.6	9.0	39.3	427.6
1995	262,755,000		684.5	8.2	37.1	418.3
1996	265,284,000		636.6	7.4	36.3	390.9
1997	267,637,000		611.0	6.8	35.9	382.1
1998	270,296,000		566.4	6.3	34.4	360.5
1999	272,690,813		523	5.7	32.8	334.3
					Forcible	Aggravated
Year	Population		Violent	Murder	Rape	assault
2000	281,421,906		506.5	5.5	32	324.0
2001	285,317,559		504.5	5.6	31.8	318.6
2002	287,973,924		494.4	5.6	33.1	309.5
2003	290,690,788		475.8	5.7	32.3	295.4
2004	293,656,842		463.2	5.5	32.4	288.6
2005	296,507,061		469.0	5.6	31.8	290.8
2006	299,398,484		473.6	5.7	30.9	287.5
2007	301,621,157		466.9	5.6	30	283.8
2008	304,374,846		457.5	5.4	29.7	276.7
2009	307,006,550		431.9	5.0	29.1	264.7
					Forcible	Aggravated
Year	Population		Violent	Murder	Rape	assault
2010	309,330,219		404.5	4.8	27.7	252.8
2011	311,587,816		387.1	4.7	27	241.5
2012	313,873,685		387.8	4.7	27.1	242.8
2013	316,128,839		367.9	4.5	25.2	229.1

These aren't numbers twisted by agenda riddled outlets looking for the advertising dollar.  These are the raw statistics from the FBI.

In 1945, the Murder Rate was 3.84 per 100,000 (5831 Criminal Homicides / Population of 139.9 million) - the facts are, we just aren't that violent a country.

Our Country's murder rate puts us 111th out of 278 Countries in the world. Our gun murder rate is distorted terribly by the hi density, Democratically controlled cities of the USA - as can be seen below...

 

It's just not as bad as the media - both Liberal and Conservative alike - would have you believe.  So I tell you, unless you are in Chiraq or one of the other large, hi density cities of this Country, enjoy yourself.  Go for walks at night with your family.  Go on vacations and see this great Country!  Watch ballgames, see the sights and enjoy... enjoy... enjoy!  All while carrying and staying in Condition Yellow, of course, and remember... the Media is not your friend, they are here to make money, nothing more, nothing less.

Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly

Hipshot

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