About – People Against Illegal Guns

We sympathize with people and politicians who want to believe that banning weapons is better than doing nothing — (“If just one life can be saved”). Unfortunately, it is not that simple. To neglect the complexity of the problem is not only counter-productive, it is dangerous. The issue of violence (not just gun-violence) is a social, psychological, economic and discriminatory problem that cannot be fixed by legislating against a tool or an object. We strive to be a voice of reason on this issue and will show the reader, if they care to take the time, that it’s not black and white. The ramifications of limiting access to these weapons far outweigh any benefits. If a person is intending to commit an illegal act they won’t care to check their “illegal” weapons at the door. In fact they will be emboldened, knowing that they are the only ones armed and dangerous, in the event that law-abiding citizens aren’t allowed to possess the best weaponry available at the time.

The topic of firearms has long existed in the context of political arenas, where the issue of gun-violence, political dissent and various weapons related threats have been used to stoke emotions and curry favor with one political base or another. The social ramifications of freedoms (of any kind) are complex and far reaching. Our right to own implements of personal safety is no different, thus it must be treated with similar respect and primacy of facts. Freedom itself is inseparable from responsibility. The amount of freedom is always equal to its risk of misuse. However, greater incidence of freedom’s misuse does not make the case for less freedom. Rather it makes the case for examination of why the abandonment of responsibility has occurred. Unfortunately, we all know that even cursory examination of this phenomenon leads us to very dark and difficult questions that leave us no easy answers. Because of this it is very tempting to place the blame on objects, which are far easier to prohibit than solving the intricacies of the human condition. But it is imperative to not fool ourselves into thinking that restrictions of any kind will bring about positive fundamental change in the spirit of a society. It is imperative to not sacrifice freedom for the illusion of safety. Don’t forget the freedom to be responsible for one’s safety has preserved the lives of countless generations passed and present.

Our highest responsibility is to honor the law we enact and protect ourselves, our families and communities. One of the most difficult challenges we face in meeting this responsibility is access to proper equipment, education and training. Without a weapon we are at great odds with potential aggressors. Violent actions such as robbery, assault, home invasion, kidnapping, violent rampage, etc., can be mitigated with proper training and weapons. A gun is not always necessary but it is the great equalizer. A weak or unarmed person can defend themselves against a physically superior or armed perpetrator. That said, even a gun doesn’t ensure their survival. It just gives them the best odds. Therefore it is important to maintain access to training and weapons for lawful citizens. This ensures the balance of power is not tipped in favor of those willing to do whatever it takes to have an advantage over the un-prepared and weak. These people will not obey the laws. They will take any advantage they can get. The people who believe that a law will protect them from “criminals” are sadly misguided. Law enforcement will come to your aid after a law has been broken. We the people have setup law to attempt to protect the health, safety, and moral welfare of all people. The law is recourse and the imposition of consequences on individuals for infractions against the people. Unfortunately, the law will not save your life in the midst of an infraction.

We believe that “gun control” is not the answer. We hope to educate and elucidate this issue through the presentation of facts and information on this website. This website is not comprehensive but is meant to serve as bookmarks for ourselves and others. If you have suggestions, please send them using the contact page.

Our “Gun Defense” section is currently limited to the year 2014 and is very much incomplete. This presents the reader with a small sampling of self defense incidents from a single year. We have limited time to spend on this and would like to avoid a massive data dump from many years. The goal is to show the frequency, validity and importance of self defense involving a firearm.