Gun Control is Not Crime Control -- Find Out What Is
Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2009
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
A majority of my adult life I carried a gun as part of my job. I carried it 40 hours a week for about 20 years and many, many more hours off duty. I wore it so much I felt like I had a permanent growth on my hip. Today, I have a license to carry a gun, however I rarely do.
Guns and ammunition are selling at record rates all across the country because many feel harsh gun control is right around the corner. Many say gun control would be good crime control. Some people including some police administrators say get them off the street and violent crime will get much better.
The ABC news program 20/20 did a show that talked about guns and crime. During one part, they interviewed some criminals in prison who talked about how they fear armed victims more than they fear the police. They also talked about if guns were illegal, they'd still get them. It is a short video segment, about five minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyoLuTjguJA
I teach and work in some areas that have extremely high rates of firearm related crime. Some of the areas have the highest rates of robberies and murders in Ohio . Luckily, the people I deal with are great. They are going to college and doing whatever they can do to better themselves.
However, they tell me stories of the criminals in their neighborhoods and the fear they are causing to the good people living there. They tell me families have disintegrated. They say positive role models are far and few between. They say community based work and social programs are not plentiful. They tell me the mindset of solving conflicts or gaining respect is by using violence. Deanna Wilkinson, an Ohio State University associate professor of human development and family science says, "If you're growing up and every conflict you see is settled through violence, that's how you're likely to react."
If one were to take a semi truckload of guns to these neighborhoods and let people gain access to them, what we would eventually have is out of control violence. If you would take that same truck and open it up for the people, let us say in my county, what would you have? Would you have out of control violence? No, not even close.
Gun control is not the action needed. People control is the need. Better put, finding solutions needed for young people who simply have had little or no direction, no hope and who do not care about much other than breathing, eating and surviving. That is the control needed. Real workable initiatives anchored by strong leadership to help people live up to their human potential, and of course, to not abuse everyone around them.
In the meantime, people who chose to own or carry a firearm responsibly should have the right to do so.
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More commentsVery nicely done, Steve.Gun control and crime control are very different, as you stated. You can legislate guns off the market, but then only the criminals would have them. Teaching the young and 'impressionable' is a Herculean task, yet one that we must do in order to show there is more to life than crime. How is the question, yet if we educate and lead by example, the chances are much better than having a DARE poster in a school or a disrespected teacher tell them. Kids today are immune to that, as they are immune to anyone telling them it is better for them to get some minimum-wage job than to pick up a gun, join a gang, and sell drugs.So. The key is education, and I'm not sure our schools are wired for that. They have to make a child want to learn, want to stay out of trouble. The financial incentive is tilted too strongly toward a life of crime, so we need . . . heroes. People who either have been there/done that, or people who can convince kids to look at the big picture of their lives, the long run.Great subject you brought here. Thanks very much.Hi Mike,
In my opinion, you have outstanding insight on how to change things around for the better. People with good insights as you, I believe, are needed in positions of leadership to make changes happen. Thanks for reading and getting involved in the topic.
Great article, Steve and I agree wholeheartedly! We live in a very rural area where meth and mariJ are produced and grown in kitchens and backyards, so crime is created from the produce. Recently we had a break-in just down the road from us. The intruder used his driver's license to try to unlock the door to the occupied home. The license broke, dropping the portion with his name into the house. He commenced to try to kick the door down to get to his license. The owner came down the stairs with a gun. The intruder left his license and made a very hasty retreat. Needless to say, it didn't take the Sheriff's dept. long to pick him up! My husband and I both have concealed weapons permits and carry 40 cal. Barrettas. We practice shooting often to keep ourselves up to par, but we hope we never have to fire a weapon at anything other than a paper plate attached to a tree.Thanks for sharing.SandraHi Sandra,You sound like you have the right mindset--you don't want to harm anyone unless it is absolutely necessary--you practice to keep accurate and in tune with your weapon...I hope you never have to use your 40 Caliber either--thanks for the comments and stay safe!
As always Steve. Your insite is the same opinion as most and me. I enjoy your articles. Thank you for sharing.Gregg Boyles.
As always Steve. Your insite is the same opinion as most and me. I enjoy your articles. Thank you for sharing.Gregg Boyles.Hi Gregg--thanks for reading and also your comments, I appreciate it
Great article. Well done.I always say the gun wouldn’t hurt a fly but the user can and sometimes will. Anyway, if someone wants a gun they can get it regardless and if they want to use it you can bet they will.Thus, the gun is part of the problem but more is down to the holder.Hi Connor,I agree with your assessment. Good to hear from you and thanks for reading and of course your comments.
Steve, I echo everyone else about this article and you; both are great! I have several weapons and pray I never have to use one of them but will for protection. Your last two paragraphs are spot on! Thank you for lending your voice on this serious issue.Thank you Avis--I appreciate it!
Steve, all I can say is Amen. I know exactly where to go if I want an illegal gun, taking away my right to have one lawfully won't change that. It will however, make the cost of my illegal one more expensive, which means I might have to rob more people to get the cash I need. Thankfully, I'm not a criminal, but it's dumb not to think like one. I wish our leaders would. okay, so I guess I had more than one thing to say :-) Again, it goes back to the heart of man. Blessings to you! And thank you for being a positive figure in law enforcement and extending your knowledge to the rest of us. TeresaHi TeresaI have to agree with you 100% that the bottom line is, the "heart of man". That is the core solution to most issues.Thanks for the great words about being a positive figure etc, that meant a lot. Stay safe, happy and content! Steve
get some guns obamas getting a private army so you better stock up. the new hitler is comming (hint) hitler had a private army too called the gestapoRidiculous. That's what the fringe said about Clinton. They were wrong then, and they continue to get it wrong.
Absolutely perfectly written Steve! I could not agree more. If you took away all the guns people would still kill each other with knives and sticks. Just something for thought, in the UK in 2008 there were 277 murders by knife and at least 22,000 criminal incidences involving knives...Thanks for the kind words. I had no idea about the stats in the UK--thanks for letting me know about them for future articles and for my general knowledge as well. Guns are not the issue! Thanks for reading and your input.
I'd have to agree that it's naive to not be allowed to protect yourself. Sadly, murder and mayhem is out there, and some of it takes extraordinary measures to stop, as we recently saw in Texas. A lot of people killed and wounded, but it might have been a lot more before another armed person stopped it.Yes Greg I know of instances where armed men and women have stopped violent acts so being armed, in the right hands can make a positive difference. Nevertheless, the whole subject is a controversial one to say the least. Thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment
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