Some moron is coming to NYC to give away shotguns.
The man behind an effort to put free shotguns in the hands of homeowners says he’ll dole them out in the Big Apple by the end of the year — and the lawmen may not be able to stop him.
“We’re coming — and we’re going to get shotguns into the hands of responsible citizens,” said Kyle Coplen, who founded the nonprofit the Armed Citizen Project in January.
“When criminals fear the citizenry, it deters crime,” the 29-year-old added.
Um. No. Statistically, when criminals fear capture, it deters crime. This is why the homeowners best defense is his neighbors. Or noise from inside his home. Or even just a fake alarm sticker on his door. Or failing that, a strong lock.
That’s not me suggesting that. That’s the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies guidance. When it comes to studying crime and crime prevention, suffice it to say they have a far bigger interest in it than some balding asshole cowboy from Houston.
By extension, the whole argument for guns falls apart quickly if you bother to look at the numbers. Guns in the home are more likely to attract crimes and criminals, for everything from domestic violence to burglary. When criminals know there’s a gun inside, they’re more likely to try and steal it, because most criminals injured or killed by guns aren’t injured or killed by people defending themselves or their property. They’re most likely, by far, to be injured or killed by other criminals.
In that respect, defending a criminal from another criminal, then yes, owning a gun makes sense: if you’re a felon. Remember how “when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns”? That’s because they need them more than homeowners do.
Too, gun permits in the city -- even for a long gun kept strictly in the home -- are damned expensive: $230 including fingerprinting. Plus, if you have even a traffic ticket, you can be denied for possession.
This is a publicity stunt, but a dangerous one. Perhaps ol’ Kyle here should spend even one night sleeping in his car in the South Bronx before offering these weapons of war for free.
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