Belatedly, thanks for these comments!

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Recreational ethanol use has very little real value to society. Some people benefit from its value as an anesthetic, and it does support many jobs, but like most, I don’t need it to live.

Rifles, on the other hand, keep many people alive. Wide disperal of lethal force capability is the foundation of American political stability. As intensely as segments of the US population hate each other, it’s not possible for one side to eliminate the other.

Human history is a story of nearly nonstop slaughter. Democide, genocide, ethnic cleansing, colonial exploitation or slavery follow when a group has a disproportionate advantage in ability to apply lethal force.

We’re watching this principle applied in the eastern Mediterranean now. If the communities of southern Israel had been armed to the level of average American suburbs, Hamas would not have attacked the way they did, knowing odds of success were small. If Gaza were armed as well as a similarly sized US city, the Israelis would not have invaded.

Grain alcohol fun, but unnecessary for most. AR15s and like insure the political stability most take for granted.

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Maybe I will have a book launch party in NC and break out some bottles for a toast!

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I might have to tie in the Anabaptists of Münster.

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I do not think we can give up on trying to educate people – even on issues so fraught with emotion. Feelings are not facts. Such events carry strong emotional impact due to either victim characteristics or numbers or both. The data show that such events really comprise a small minority of firearm-related deaths. The data show that AR 15s are used in only a small number of firearm-related deaths. Silence on such issues only implies acceptance and reinforcement of erroneous thinking.

An analogy I often make with regard to alcohol (or other drugs) and firearms is that, as history shows, prohibition does not work (at least not completely). What do not realize is that it worked in some ways; overall consumption was reduced, but use was not eliminated – most notably in “serious” drinkers. It lead to a burgeoning black market and the emergence of organized crime to fulfill the need. Interestingly, it was repealed mostly because of lost tax revenue. One can see parallels with the history of marijuana prohibition, which is also slowly disappearing and is often considered as a source of tax revenue. In all of this, consistent with common comments on gun bans, we might observe that the “law-abiding” abstained, but those willing to break the law did not – and others were more than willing to sell them the illegal products. Eventually the prohibitive structure wore down.

People find a way. Banning certain firearms will work no better than prohibiting certain drugs, but will have much deadlier consequences. This is even more clear when one considers the current context, including the inability or unwillingness to secure our borders. If people and drugs can breach the border, so can firearms. Those who are willing to break the laws will have no difficulty doing so.

As this is getting long, I will not one last point that I try to make all the time, but most people do not want to consider. Guns have been part of American life form the beginning, which is why the 2A was created. So what has changed that we see such events now? Clearly we have a crisis of culture. Lots of reasons for that can be proffered. I will recount an example of cultural breakdown in my own locale. A few nights ago, in downtown Tampa (an area known as Ybor City), a “mass shooting” occurred. It ended with two young men (one 14 and one 20) dead and 16 people injured (not all by gun fire). It happened at 3 AM as a result of an altercation between two groups (gangs) of young males. I highlight – one of the victims who died was 14 years old, on the streets of Ybor at 3 AM (an area I would not venture into after dark – considering the rules of stupid). It has been suggested but not verified that the 14 year-old drew a pistol. Whether accurate or not, in such a context, do I need to explain what I mean by a crisis of culture?

I can understand the tragedy of losing an adolescent son, even if I cannot relate to it. However, to consider the role of gun violence, without addressing the idea of a 14 year-old being there at that time, gives me little hope for change. I recognize that even making that observation out loud is considered callous. Perhaps that is why, as a society, we choose not to face the possibility and find it much easier to indict firearms.

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There have been other murders, robberies, and assaults committed with AR-15s. I pay attention to this issue and don’t know of 100 such events, but that’s certainly possible. It could even be 200.

So, that’s 250. Let’s double it to be certain that we’re being entirely inconclusive.

Actually, because it makes the math easy and serves to underscore the point I wish to make, let’s double it again and assume that there have been 1,000 violent crimes committed with these rifles.

An extremely conservative estimate of the number of these rifles in civilian hands in the U.S. is ten million (10,000,000). Ten million divided by a thousand is ten thousand (10,000,000 / 1,000 = 10,000). So, fewer than one in ten thousand AR-15s have been used to commit a violent crime.

People have the right to defend themselves and their loved ones, as well as the right to the means with which to effectively do so. Most AR-15 owners acknowledge that their rifles are intended for defensive purposes. The evidence is clear that the overwhelming majority (> 99.99%) don’t use them criminally.

You don’t need to justify you choice of firearm or libation.

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