Why Americans Are Buying Guns
In the aftermath of every mass shooting, we hear calls for “commonsense gun control.” But how do you determine which gun laws are commonsense? Jason Riley, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, explores this loaded question.
#guns #2ndamendment #gunrights
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Script:
“The issue we face is one of conscience and common sense.” So said President Joe Biden in a prime-time plea for more Second Amendment restrictions. The president is right on both counts—just not in the way that he and other gun-control enthusiasts imagine.
Many Americans have noticed that cities where shootings occur almost daily also have some of the strictest gun laws. Using common sense, they’ve concluded that more gun-control legislation isn’t the solution because criminals, by definition, don’t respect laws.
Many of the same people find it unconscionable that politicians would make it more difficult for law-abiding residents to arm themselves for protection.
Many of these law-abiding citizens happen to be black.
It’s worth noting that the past two landmark Supreme Court rulings on gun control were brought by black plaintiffs who simply wanted to defend their homes and their families.
Moreover, they hailed from cities controlled by Progressives who have done a poor job of protecting low-income minorities from criminals. In a 2008 case, District of Columbia v. Heller, the court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to bear arms is an individual right and that you don’t need to be part of a militia to exercise it.
One of the initial plaintiffs was Shelly Parker, a black computer-software designer who decided to challenge the district’s handgun ban in court after a neighborhood drug dealer tried to break into her home one evening and threatened to kill her.
“What I want is simply to be able to own a handgun in my home, in the confines of the walls of my home—nothing else,” she told National Public Radio.
Two years later, in McDonald v. Chicago, the high court expanded on the Heller case. The lead plaintiff was Otis McDonald, a black Chicago retiree who wanted to own a handgun for protection from the gangs that terrorized his low-income neighborhood.
It’s well known that gun sales have surged in recent years, but less well known is that blacks have led the trend.
Retailers in a survey conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade group, reported that they sold 58% more guns to black customers in the first half of 2020 than a year earlier, the highest increase for any racial or ethnic group.
Personal safety tops the list of why people decide to buy a firearm. In a 2021 Gallup survey, 88% of respondents said they own a gun “for protection against crime,” which is up from 67% in 2005.
Social conditions have convinced more Americans that they need a gun, yet progressive politicians have spent little time reassessing the policies that led to such thinking.
Meanwhile, violent crime keeps rising.
Homicides in major cities have reached levels not seen in three decades. But left-leaning policy makers treat criminals like victims and police officers like criminals. Anti-gun police units that help keep illegal weapons off the streets have been disbanded. Felonies have been downgraded to misdemeanors, and misdemeanors go unpunished, which only encourages the bad actors.
Low-income minorities feel the brunt of these so-called reforms because they are most likely to be crime victims.
The same “defund the police” progressives who have spent most of the past decade undermining efforts to combat crime are now using sensational but rare mass-shooting tragedies as an excuse to limit people’s ability to defend themselves.
For the full script, visit: https://www.prageru.com/video/why-americans-are-buying-guns
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Excellent presentation.
Because BIG Brother government is telling us NOT to buy guns!
I am a big supporter of the 2nd Amendment. The first thing tyrants and dictators do is to disarm the people. Hitler did this and so did Stalin .
You forgot the people who have crippling addictions to gun broker.
I'm joking
Kind of
It saddens me that one of my former hometowns was featured in this video as an example of why the system does not work. It just HAD to be Highland Park.
I'm not attacking Mr. Riley or PragerU for targetting Highland Park. It's entirely deserved. I'm just expressing that it could happen to any city in the state. Or any state ruled by megalomaniacal Liberals.
This guy is blatantly lying about Russia. Just take a walk at night in Russian and American cities, and you will see where there are more crimes.
Well said sir.
@ 4:48 you suggest "the source of the problem is the failure of the government to protect us". That, sir, is incorrect. The source of the problem is the failure of parents to raise responsible sons. Leave Uncle Sam out of it – let him defend our borders, pave our highways and deliver the mail . . . private citizens can handle the rest.
I would love to see a source for your statistics. Some of these seem vague or cherry picked. Also, anecdotal evidence does not count as evidence.
Most Americans now realize that the greatest enemy to our Freedoms and Rights is the government itself!
Sad fact is, if we are not Strong, our own government will crush us under its treads.
Love your Video so well discussed, thanks much
99% of the time – ignorance. The other 1% – sport or self defense.
For protection, 'cause this world is nuts.
Hey y’all check this guy out (my name, he’s got good 🔫 deals always
Make bullets more expensive
Big money in gun sales and we live in a society that promotes fear.
Hey man cool video. By the way, can you actually back all of your claims with sources. You kinda just say stuff and then hope people believe you because you used two examples that you said were a court case and a study. It doesn’t really help anyone else who are actually curious about this issue and are smart enough to realize that this video essay is absolute shit
And let me say something. You’re reading 📖! That’s hilarious 😂! Everyday there’s a gunfire in American Schools. No worries, Jesus would certainly aproves that, or maybe 🤔 not!
why can't the left understand these simple facts?
Excellent video! I support this message lol.
Your video proposes a "single solution" that is not supported by reality: there is no single "right agenda" or "left agenda" solution! It will take everybody to solve those problems. Please make a video that reflects this evidence and explains the undeniable success of ID or NY states compared to others here despite their very different gun-friendliness levels: https://www.criminalattorneycincinnati.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/comparing-gun-control-homicides-4.png
Before every mass genocide in Russia, China, and elsewhere, gun confiscation preceded them all.
He have a saying here in Brazil, about gun "control". It goes like this:
"Prihibit legal gun possetion to prevent crimes is the same as preventing drunk drivers killing sober drivers in crashes, by making illegal to drive sober"
Also in Brazil we have more restrictive gun laws, and higher murder rates than USA. The curve of growt of murder rates followed the increase of restrictions.
When President Bolsonaro reduced some of the BS about gun control, more people bought legal weapons than ever. And for the first time in 35 years murder rates decreased, we are back at the same levels as before 2005.
Well said. Americans were terrorized for nearly a year leading up to the last election while government responded quite weakly to protect the US cities which were burned, looted and destroyed. Some apparently thought that we would then beg government to take away our right to effective self defense. They thought wrong.
Awesome video!
“In other words, if modern rifles are misused in crime (even disproportionately), government must deal with those wrongful acts directly; it may not deal with the problem by suppressing the rights of law-abiding citizens to have modern rifles for lawful uses. Thus, disproportionality is not a valid constitutional concern. Common ownership by law abiding citizens for lawful purposes is the test. Moreover, there is little evidence that modern rifles are used disproportionately in crime.” – Miller v Bonta, HON. ROGER T. BENITEZ United States District Judge, 6/4/2021
Because crime is out of control and the so-called justice system doesn't work for non-criminals.
Mike Wallace: "How are we going to get rid of racism?"
Morgan Freeman: "Stop talking about it"
I have had enough of guns. Second thought, maby just a few more. At least until the gun safe is completely full
Thank you for this video ,
People need to see the trend Areas with high Crime have strong gun Restrictions!
Areas with low Crime have less Gun restrictions !
So you tell me WE DONOT NEED MORE GUN LAWS !
God Bless You Sir!
I'm known to be into guns, and lately coworkers have been coming up to me asking for advice. Most of them have been black. And it is as you've said for self protection in a society that seems to be crumbling before our very eyes.
Just remember who the people are that are enforcing those unconstitutional gun laws. Unfortunately most conservatives glorify the police and it is the police, nearly all of them, who do or will enforce unconstitutional gun laws. Make such people accountable. Shun them from your homes and your businesses, and protest against them wherever and whenever possible. They are part of the enemy within. The Nuremberg trials after World War II made it clear that following orders and simply doing your job is no excuse. Such police, and as I said before it’s nearly all of them, are treasonous.
Yeah but who is going to protect us from the gov?
Need them for protection from F15's
Brazil has strict gun laws, a bit less strict than Japan´s. Crime rate here makes Mexico looks like heaven (31,58 vs 25,30 deaths in 100k), but after Bolsonaro government made a little easier to buy guns, violence plummeted to lower levels in history. Otherwise Venezuela stricted their laws and get 64,65 deaths in 100k. Highest in South America. It´s not about guns, it´s about freedom.
Got news for you buddy you don’t have to be black to need a gun
I know…I know. Because we currently have morons in the highest office.
Skip this video to the end. Americans are buying guns because government cannot be trusted for anything. By the way they have earned this mistrust.
AMEN
Is it a coincidence that most gun crime happens in 'gun free' zones? 🤔 Criminals, by definition, don't follow the law. So my guess is the sign that says "Gun Free Zone" is more of an invitation than a deterrent…
Gun control is racist. Who does it hurt the most, inner city people
Just bought my first AR15 a few months back. I’m not putting mine and my family’s lives in anyone else’s hands. I absolutely love and cherish my rights to bear arms.
DAMN STRAIGHT .
The black men and women are finally rounding the corner leading to conservativism and gun ownership. Pack in public, always pack one, never leave home without one.
Can't wait until 1Jan23 Chicago. You'll see their weekend tally go from the usual 40-80 up over 100 constantly until they start M-F tallies. Get your popcorn 🍿 and sit back.
Socialism 101 underfund, undermine local law enforcement then when crime goes up and the citizens scream for a solution they send in federal law enforcement. Centralized education, centralized healthcare, centralized law-enforcement
Leftists write laws to curtail the law abiding. They are unconcerned with the criminals