a police wife: guns n kids

a police wife: guns n kids

Thanks for mentioning the Children and Guns articles from Women of Caliber. The reason I have a Glock is because of its safety mechanisms -- because a Glock will not go off if it hits the floor. I'm glad you're educating your children on firearms. When you take the mystery out of a gun, you take the mischief out of a child.

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The Mostly Silent Destroyer

By Kellene Bishop

Silence.

Loneliness.

Darkness.

Fear.

Most humans feel such troubling emotions at some point—however brief or extended—in life. We struggle to fight against their powerful grasp. In desperation we look to others for comfort and love and support, and when achieved, we eventually move forward stronger than before. But what if those people we trust to pull us out of the misery are those who darken and destroy—the very manufacturers of our fear?

This is the reality for more than 200,000 American women every year.

Rape is a disgusting and horrifying crime, and to most women, their greatest nightmare. The very thought of the word repulses most. According to FBI records, more than 90,000 attacks are reported every year in the U.S. That number, though high and unfortunate, pales in comparison to what’s really happening. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 300,000 women are forced to survive a rape each year. But according to other studies, less than one in three women reports their real-life nightmare to police or other authorities. Additionally, it’s important to understand that the numbers which the FBI reports are conveyed to them by police stations all over the U.S. Unfortunately countless police stations are found to be inconsistent in properly reporting rapes as well. To me this is akin to assault on the woman. And it’s nothing short of shameful.

In addition to the callous approach the police departments employ in reporting rape statistics to the FBI, “shame” also has a lot to do with many women not reporting such attacks. Alcohol consumption and drug abuse are often familiar prequels to rape, and no women would want to be labeled as an abuser or out of control. And due to natural side effects of substances, it’s common the victim is entirely unaware of what, if anything at all, even happened. Also, in some micro-cultures which have filtered into the U.S. from regions worldwide, rape victims are inexplicably seen as dirty, shamed, and of less worth to their families, recognized as being at fault for having lead-on the attacker. Having to relive the horrors of the incident to fill out a report and even testify in court understandably seems too much to handle. Ironically, many take an even more difficult path which requires silence, but ultimately does more damage emotionally, as well as physically and subsequently financially.

As is presently reported, the majority of rape victims, 52% in fact, are females younger than 26. Many are in college and pursuing goals and careers. These are independent women with oft-heard opinions and strong voices. So why are they suffering their assaults in silence? Because two-thirds of all perpetrators are either friends, regular associates, or even intimate partners. Sixty-four percent of the time the woman is raped by a trusted companion! That’s a particularly dangerous problem because the ripple effect brutalizes them once again at close range. Oft times the woman victim has deep emotional feelings and even sincere love for the attacker so the crime is never reported, opting instead to give the perpetrator another chance.

According to the justice department, it’s rare that attackers use extreme force or brutality during the rape, even though psychologists believe it to be an act of dominion and power. Consequently, it’s rare that there is an abundance of physical evidence surrounding the attack. This is another reason why more rapes aren’t reported by victims and police departments, and why more perpetrators aren’t taken to court. Without physical evidence, and because of the commonality of alcohol and drug abuse during the act, the charge seemingly amounts to little more than a victim’s personal vendetta against her attacker. It’s her word against his, and he’s innocent until proven guilty.

The nightmare continues. The survivor sits alone in silence, darkness, and fear… unless.

What if women stopped relying on the police departments to protect them from this heinous crime? What if, instead, women took their safety into their own hands by becoming fully informed and educated on how to recognize a looming rape occurrence and how to successfully thwart it? A physical self-defense series. A self-defense firearm training class. All of these are ideal counter-measures to ensure that you never have to become a survivor and be left to simply dance to the present music that’s played nationwide. If a rape is fought back with skill and a pre-conditioned mind, then the survivor will be able to much better cope with the incident, leaving it behind with a sense of conquering evil rather than being trampled in its path.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

MS-13 101

By Kellene Bishop

With all that is going on in your life, why should you be better informed of a gang of illegal immigrant rebels? Because they are a realistic face of the harm which threatens your life, even your everyday life. They are not an obscure gang. In fact, the FBI defines MS-13 as the most organized crime entity in the U.S. They are feared not solely because of their horrific violent acts, but due to their organization. They specifically target middle and high school for recruitments. They have no compunction of committing violent acts upon their fellow citizens, as they fear no repercussions. Their greatest criminal focuses are on human and drug trafficking, and contract killing combined with unspeakable violence. A crime will never be committed by one of these members without it being accompanied by a beating, a rape, a murder, a dismemberment, or all of the above. They also have known ties and alliances to Al-Queda.

Who are they and why should you care? They are MS-13, otherwise known as Mara Salvatrucha. And yes, they have invaded your community. Visual evidence of such will be manifested by graffiti in your area that says “MS,” “Mara,” or “MS-13.”
Their violent organized traits stem from the fact that the majority of their founders are well trained in guerilla warfare in El Salvador. As such they possess a level of methodical training and skill set than any rival gang. Their very initiation is bloodcurdling. After enduring a slow 13 count beating, minimum, the inductee must then commit a violent act—either a beating, a rape, or murder—prior to being to be accepted. If they fail in their efforts within 13 hours, then they are murdered themselves in order that the MS-13 does not get spread by “incompetents.” (If you are a girl, the right of passage would include an obligatory gang rape). The more violent they are, the more elevated they are among their “military” crime group. One MS-13 member claimed during questioning, “The crazier you are known to be, the more respect the gang gives you.” On November 26, 2008, Jonathan Retana was convicted of the murder of Miguel Angel Deras, which the authorities linked to an MS-13 initiation.
As further evidence of their organization skills, there is a unique communication which takes place among them. Gang "signs" are also used by MS-13 including the infamous "devil horns" sign which gang members "throw" to signify their ownership of their turf. The devil horn sign, when turned upside down, forms the letter "M". Members also use multiple hand signals to communicate. Known as "stacking", these signs can be used to indicate their clique or to coordinate an attack. Pulling up on the shoulders of the shirt indicates an imminent attack while rubbing the belly indicates a shooting. A brush on the left shoulder indicates a stabbing attack. One of the defining factors of MS-13 is their absolute intolerance for anyone who informs the police of their activities. Court papers in Nassau County detail recorded telephone conversations where a MS-13 member bragged how he had put a stop to an informant—"I put one in the chest and three in the head."
Once a member is brought into the gang, they are in for life. They cannot act without the boss's consent—they cannot kill without reason, cannot talk to the police, cannot skip gang meetings, nor can they leave the gang. MS-13 has no tolerance for gang members who drop out. A MS-13 member and even their family members must die in order to exit MS-13, no exceptions. On May 13, 2006, Ernesto "Smokey" Miranda, an ex-high ranking soldier and one of the founders of the Mara Salvatrucha, was murdered at his home in El Salvador a few hours after declining to attend a party for a gang member who had just been released from prison. Not only had he offended his “brothers” for not attending the party, but he had threatened dissent by studying law and working to keep children out of gangs.
The majority of these gang members are in the country illegally. As such they are deported regularly. Going along with the fact that MS-13 members can’t simply get out, the much reported incident of Edward Guzman, a 14-year-old MS-13 members proves the more significant punishment of deportation. Guzman left Guatemala to escape the gang lifestyle and illegally came to the U.S. At the age of 16, on March 10, 2004, he was deported back to his home. He hid in his home for several days. His first day to venture out was March 20, 2004. He made it only 5 blocks where he was shot multiple times. MS-13 grudges never die.
Wikipedia mistakenly states that this gang originated in Los Angeles. In fact they originated in El Salvador and were the largest formalize gang there. The gangs then infiltrated the Los Angeles area as it was already rampant with a gang culture. While they originally consisted of Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans, their desired “market” penetration has forced them to take on any Central American individual who can suitably pass their initiation and sub-sequent performance requirements. Their targets are indiscriminate so long as they can wreak horror and obedience to their reign in their communities. Case in point, in the minds of an MS-13 member, the term “road rage” means nothing to them. It is their road, and they allow you to drive on it. Obstruction of such means death. On June 22, 2008, in San Francisco, CA, a 21-year old MS-13 gang member, Edwin Ramos, shot and killed a father, Anthony Bologna, 48, and his two sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, after their car briefly blocked Ramos from completing a left turn down a narrow street. In spite of their cache of firearms, most MS-13 members are adept in the use of a machete.

They are not a criminal gang so much as they are much more focused on political power. As such they have been ordered to focus on eliminating border patrol guards along the Arizona border as it interferes with their money-making activities. (see:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/mar/28/20050328-125306-7868r/ and http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3386933) In Honduras, MS-13 executed a son of the son of Honduras President Ricardo Maduro after kidnapping and torturing him. (1997) All over Central America, their acts of death and defiance are intended to taunt government officials. Members also left a dismembered corpse with a note for the Honduras president that “more people will die… the next victims will be police and journalists.” In 2004, Guatemalan President Oscar Berger received a similar messages attached to the body of a dismembered man from MS-13 members. As such, this gang operates with no fear of government reprisals. Since they were able to sufficiently overcome any such consequences with their own Salvadoran government, every country, state, and community they enter with the same haughty view of the Laws’ inability to deliver suitable consequences. They do not fear a prison sentence. Rather they return to their gangs upon release as an elevated veteran. Thus there are uninhibited in the horror of their criminal acts.

They have sufficiently permeated every state in the U.S. Even our nation’s capital holds no borders for them, in fact, they flaunt the fact that they are the strongest gang in the D.C. area. In northern Virginia and southern Maryland, around the Washington D.C. area, local authorities estimate MS-13 membership to be between 5,000 and 6,000 members. In July of 2003, the Washington DC area encountered three known murders attributed to MS-13. The first was the murder of a federal informant. The second was the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy. The third was the death of a 16-year-old boy who had both of his hands completely chopped off.

In December of 2004 in Honduras, a local MS-13 chapter stopped a traveling bus mostly filled with women and children and sprayed it with automatic gunfire. No robbery was attempted. No rape or kidnapping. Simply murder and mayhem which resulted in the death of 28 people. Their motive was to cause horror in the government as indicated by a note left behind promising the government that more killings of this nature would take place.

So why should YOU be concerned about them? Because they are yet one more aspect of a potential emergency situation for which you need to be prepared. Do not underestimate their violence. You will not be able to reason with them. You will not be able to give them what they want and have them simply go away. Horrific violence is at their very core. You will need to be mindful of them and to defend yourself appropriately.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

High School Football—A Terrorist Threat

By Kellene Bishop, Women of Caliber

Between the fall of 1997 and the spring of 2002, FIFTY-THREE high school students were KILLED playing high school football. (National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, Feb. 2001) The lives of the spectators and the fellow students of these players will never be the same. And I want something done to make sure that such needless deaths never happen again. Fifty-three deaths! Where is the outrage?! Where’s 20/20 or 60 Minutes when you really need them to shed light on a problem? Why can’t we have Football Free Zones?! Something must be done to STOP these needless football playing deaths. In fact, I think that the schools should all adopt a strict “no play zone” policy. Someone could poke an eye out with one of those footballs, or choke on it. A teacher could be emotionally and physically harmed for life if a student hit them with a football! If you see someone drawing a picture of a football, I don’t care if it’s a fifth grader in St. Petersburg, FL, that person should be arrested. If a drawing of a football is used at school, even if it’s two eight-year olds, they should be have criminal charges filed against them and be considered a terrorist threat. If a child is caught pretending to throw a football, they should be charged with felonious assault. Take down those pictures of football players and coaches! Stop glorifying them. These types of activities KILL KIDS! And if they get caught with a Nerf ball on school property—that’s just unacceptable. Such a criminal should be jailed in Fort Meyers, FL—I don’t care if they ARE a National Merit Scholar. There should be an aggressive and zero tolerance policy to this kind of extreme in order to ensure that no such football players are ever killed playing football again. In fact, this problem is so pervasive, I demand that the National Education Association offer a FREE $150,000 insurance policy to be paid in the event that a teacher ever dies from a football incident.

No. I haven’t lost my mind. “They” have lost theirs. And the previous paragraph will point out to you just how extremely off-base they are.

Between the fall of 1997 and the spring of 2002, 32 students were killed by an incident involving a gun at an elementary or secondary school. (National School Safety Center) This total includes gang-related activities, crimes committed on school properties (even after hours), shooting accidents, as well as the highly publicized school shooting incidences. During this same period of time there were over 128 million children enrolled in such schools. This equates to 1 death per 4 million students.

During this same research period, four teachers were shot and killed at these same types of schools. (National School Safety Center) That equivocates to 1 teacher shot and killed per 3.3 million teachers.

It’s interesting to note that in 2001, that yes, The National Education Association did indeed offer all of its members a FREE $150,000 death policy, payable only under such circumstances. (San Diego Union-Tribune, July 28, 2001) Hmmm… Of course it was free. The likelihood of it happening is 1 in 3.3 million! But you can bet that the press didn’t give you those statistics, did they?

Why have they done so much to attempt to curb the deaths of children from school shootings, but have done nothing to alert them to a situation which takes the lives of more children than “school shootings” do? We have gun free zones to avoid school shootings, why don’t we have “football free zones” as well? The sickening aspect is just how extreme the schools have gone to punish the very non-infractions that I used to illustrate my point in the first paragraph.
A fifth-grade in St. Petersburg, FL was indeed arrested for drawing a picture of “weapons.”
A National Merit Scholar student was jailed in Ft. Meyers, FL because a dull kitchen knife was found under her car seat—it was dropped while her family was moving from one apartment to another.
Two eight-year olds had criminal charges filed against them and were identified as “terrorist threats” in Irvington, New Jersey for playing cops and robbers with a paper gun.
A seven-year old was charged with three counts of felonious assault for pointing a toy gun at three other children during recess in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Ann Arbor News 2)
Elementary students throughout Texas and Louisiana have been suspended for pointing pencils and saying “pow” and have forbidden the children from drawing pictures of soldiers.
School libraries throughout the U.S. have even removed references to the military.
See: http://opinionjournal.com/extra/?id-95000486, and Chicago Sun-Times, June 20, 2001, and NBC Saturday Today, NBC News Transcripts, May 26, 2002

Instead of criminalizing children for being children, schools should participate in sound measures of gun safety education and the U.S. Constitutional Amendments. No wait. Sorry. I must have left the earth for a moment there to even make such a suggestion. I forgot that education in schools is reserved for gay marriages, abortion, and the use of contraceptives.

Any death of a child, young or teen, is tragic. For those who have lost a child to ANY death is unacceptable, of course. Emotionally speaking, I feel that homicide is an even more difficult death to accept in these cases. Any death or harm of a child that can logically be prevented, should indeed be prevented. I’m a huge advocate of seat belts, car seats, and adults not exposing their children to second-hand smoke. To me, these methods pass the “stupid test” in my book. Meaning, they are just plain stupid NOT to employ. And while seat belts and car seats may have been known to even cause the occasional death of a child, but they are logical. However, the media harping on school shootings as if they are the ultimate killer of the children in our world is mal-practice in its truest sense. It’s fear-mongering. It’s a dissemination of false information and it prevents responsible parents from focusing on the true dangers in our midst.

Conservatively speaking 2,000 of our nations children are sexually assaulted by illegal immigrants—EVERY year, and yet we can’t seem to instill an “illegal immigrant free zone” in our nation. (http://www.newswithviews.com/Kouri/jim94.htm)

On average, over 1,700 children die every year as the result of a drunk driver, and yet mandatory accountability for such actions is minimalistic and seriously flawed. (http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html)

Four percent of all pregnant women use illicit drugs and extreme amounts of alcohol, and yet there is absolutely no accountability for such actions. (http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1169.asp)

These are just a few examples of genuine threats to our children. Fight the real enemy, folks, not a fictitious enemy that the media and some government officials perpetuate in order to accomplish other horrible agendas.

May you be victorious in your REAL battles.

Kellene

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Another Significant Victory for the 2nd Amendment

By Kellene Bishop, Women of Caliber

Did you think that the ruling in favor of D.C. residents of legally possessing handguns was simply a fluke? Think again. If you’re in favor of the 2nd Amendment being honored throughout this nation, then you have reason to shout and holler with happiness! In an otherwise highly liberal court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California has ruled to enforce the 2nd Amendment! Woo hoo! This is a significant development, folks. Take a moment to bask in good news.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95767

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Countless Government Officials Guilty of Child Endangerment!

By Kellene Bishop, Women of Caliber

When you’re finished reading this piece, I hope that you will see how numerous of our government officials AND the majority of our journalists are actually guilty of premeditated child endangerment in our nation.

Don’t you HATE being manipulated? I don’t know about you, but I LOATHE being manipulated. So much so that when I’m watching a live presentation and I can tell that I’m being manipulated to laugh or clap or holler at a particular moment, I obstinately refuse to be a “joiner.” To me, manipulation is right up there with spewing “bold-face” lies. Such actions are disingenuous, and in my not-so-humble opinion, when such manipulated efforts are perpetrated by a government or otherwise trusted “officials”, it’s worse than just a lie. It’s an act of treason which is intended to strip me of my freedoms and security. So how would you like to discover that countless attempts are shot at you regularly to manipulate how you raise your children, and in doing so are actually putting your children at a significant danger? Yup. Now “Dem’s Fighting Words, Bubba!”

Welcome to the relationship our international media has with guns. Their motives are unfathomable to me, but they clearly reek of a subservience, minion-like attitude of one who is serving a tyrannical king. (Makes me wonder why so much blood has been spilt so that these journalists can have the right of free press, when they clearly do not use such a right freely.) While horrific criminals are being let off Scott free for premeditated murder of children, child abuse, child endangerment, and child slavery, our very own media is in love with manipulating our nation’s parents in their views and education of their children about firearms. IF firearms are a danger to the lives of children, then they are sounding a much needed warning cry. However, IF firearms are actually an effective means of protecting ourselves and our children, then such manipulation is a terrorist act, in my opinion. In such a case, here’s the real crime—the protection and safety of our children should be the number one priority of every single parent in America. Such instincts to protect the children are even remarkably innate in non-parents as well. And IF a firearm can actually ensure that an added measure of safety and security is available for our children, then anyone who would desire to eliminate such a tool is an enemy to my children, the future security of my country, and thus a terrorist enemy to me.

If right now, you cringe at the thought of possessing a firearm in your home or on your persons out of fear that a child may be harmed by it accidentally, then you have indeed fallen prey to this criminal campaign. Here’s why.

Crime #1—How the government statistics define “children.” Since the anti-gun proponents frequently use images of young children to ensure the proper emotional reaction to firearm accident statistics, it’s important to understand how such research studies define a child. Are you ready? According to the majority of all gun and children related accidents a child is defined as the age of 0 to 20 and even as old as TWENTY-FOUR years old, depending on the source. That’s right. Junior who has joined a gang at the age of 18 and is 35 times more likely to be shot as a result of such gang-relations is blatantly used to skew the statistics of the “children and guns” movement of the anti-gunners. Why is this the case? For the very reason that I used in my example. Gang related deaths are numerous. And unfortunately it’s common for teens to be involved in gangs, thus they are involved in gang related shootings.

“Most violent crime is committed by males ages 16-24, so these numbers include adult gang members dying during criminal activity.” (FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, 1997) “18-20 year olds commit over 23% of all gun murders.” (U.S. Treasury and Justice Dept. Report, 1999) None of these “children” are allowed to purchase a handgun due to their age under current law.

And don’t forget the fact that some of these “children” are fighting over in Iraq or Afghanistan right now. The clear motivation with this stretched definition of what constitutes a child is that the anti-gun individuals will have a more suitably intimidating statistic of “children involved in gun related deaths” to influence society with. Don’t believe that these statistics are defined this way? Here’s just one direct quote from Handgun Control, Inc., a blatantly anti-gun organization.
The annual review of mortality data, published by the Department of Health and Human Services, said gun-related deaths dropped from 4,223 in 1997 to 3,792 among children under age 20 in 1998." -Handgun Control, Inc. (emphasis added.)

In actuality, 142 children ranging in age from 0 to 14 were killed as the result of a gun. That does not imply that 142 deaths of any age is acceptable, but do you really think that the media and government officials would get the emotional result from you they desired if they instead stated “Out of over 300 million guns held legally nationwide among over 15 million children under the age of 14, 142 were killed in 1997.” Yeah. It lacks the “pow” effect that they believe they can accomplish with the other so-called statistic. It’s a far cry from the 4,223 or 3,792 number, now isn’t it? Do you feel manipulated yet? Don’t worry if you don’t. I’ve got more.

Crime #2—Blatant Media Bias on the Reporting of Children and Gun Incidents: When you see a news report on a child killed with a gun, pay attention to how many times such a report is run compared to any other news piece, and pay attention to the pictures which are associated with such an instance. When individuals are killed in an airplane crash, what does the media attempt to do after such a report? They predictably follow up the story with statistics on overall safety record of flying, attempting to allay any fears the viewers/readers may have about flying. Have you EVER read a news article that ever attempted to convey the facts about the SAFETY and BENEFITS of guns in our nation?

During 2001, John Lott, Sr., Research Scholar of the School of Law at Yale University, audited the 3 major news networks. During that year there were over 190,000 words of coverage dedicated to gun crimes. However, only 580 total words were devoted to the merits of owning a gun for self-defense, and even that occurred as the result of ONE network interviewing a police office who helped stop a school shooting.

In 1999, Newsweek did a special issue of “American Under the Gun.” There were over 15,000 words spewed in an attempt to bias the dangers of gun ownership and not one single word sharing statistics of the use of guns in self-defense scenarios.

In 2001, USA Today contained 5,660 words on crimes committed with a gun, no words on gun use in self-defense. Washington Post provided 46,884 words on stories of gun crimes with only 953 words on defensive uses of guns.

In 1999, 20/20 aired a very anti-gun episode specifically attempting to enlighten viewers on dangers of mixing children and guns. During the course of the show, a toy room was filmed showing children playing with real guns and playing with them as if they were toys. At one point the “voiceover” even stated “It wasn’t long before the shooting began.” There was NO shooting. There was make-believe play! The same year this show aired, 1999, there were 31 children under the age of 10 who died from accidental gun deaths. Is there ANY other way that children die which receives more press attention with the same level of alarm? Think about it. If 31 children died this year as the result of choking on a Triscuit cracker, do you think it would receive ANY news coverage? The level of disproportionate coverage is clearly an indicator of blatant manipulation. Wouldn’t it be revolutionary for a new report to follow-up a rare accidental child shooting with statistics such as, “Did you know that water is 19 times more dangerous to a child than a firearm? Or “Bathtubs are twice as dangerous to children as guns. Fire is 18 times more dangerous to children than guns. Cars are 57 times more dangerous. Household cleaners and poisons are twice as dangerous.” (Dr. Joyce Lee Malcolm, Guns and Violence , Bentley College history professor)

Feel manipulated yet? There’s more.

Crime #3—Blatant Government Bias on the Reporting of Children and Gun Incidents: First of all, it’s important that you understand that government reports almost always result in statistics which favor the entity which funded the work of creating such a report. Politicians clearly want research studies which produce the support for the position which they have already opted to take. And they rarely resist injecting politics into supposedly objective science studies. In spite of being in existence and well-funded for decades and with all of the “studies available” conducted by government organizations on guns and children, the Department of Justice and the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, has never conducted ANY is ANY report which attempts to discover the number of children’s lives that were SAVED as the result of a gun being present.

The manipulation never seems to cease, does it?

Crime #4—Out Right LYING about Gun Use Statistics: Seatbelts save lives, right? That’s why it’s a crime in most areas of the country not to have your child in a car seat and with a seat belt. And yet in spite of such requirements, 250,000 children are injured in car accidents every year, with over 2,000 of them resulting in child fatalities. (National Center for Statistics) Additionally, in spite of the rare circumstances which have occurred in which a seat belt or an air bag has actually killed a child in such an accident, you do not hear any clamoring for such cars or automobile safety features to be banned or locked up, right? And yet the entire aura of government reports and media reporting would have you believe that guns are an offending foe in the deaths of children.

While we’re told that 13 children die every day from a gun accident, this number “13” involves gang-related activities while committing felonies and kids that commit suicide. (FBI Uniform Statistics, 1997) In fact, four children dies each day in the U.S. as the result of parental neglect and abuse. Perhaps we should register and license parents? Not! The number “13” is nothing more than a bold-face lie intended to manipulate the presence of guns for self-defense in our lives.

According to the Center for Disease Control, of all of the accidental killings of children, 56% of them were from car accidents, 22% were from drowning. 0.1% of all deaths of U.S. children between the ages of zero and 14 are from firearms according to the National Safety Council. In 2000, there were 86 accidental firearm deaths of children under the age of 15. However, in that same year there were 40 children under the age of five that died in a bucket and 80 who died drowning in a tub.

According to the General Accounting Office, gun trigger locks are proven ineffective against most children older than 7 years of age. California has a trigger lock law and saw a 12% increase in fatal firearm accidents in 2005. Texas doesn't have such a law and experienced a 28% decrease in firearm accidents in that same year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

The myth is perpetuated that handguns are 43 times more likely to kill a family member than a criminal. And yet of the deaths that were reported in the study this mythical statistic originates, 86% of the deaths were suicides. Other deaths involved criminal activity between the family members such as drug deals that went awry. Only 0.1% of the defensive gun deaths resulted in the death of a family member. (Dr. Gary Kleck, Criminologist, Florida State Univ.)

Manipulation rages on.

Crime #5—Failing to Assist in the Education of REAL Gun Safety: You can’t watch television all your life without being exposed to the reinforcement of rules that parents teach their children such as “don’t talk to strangers,” “say please and thank you”, etc. And yet there has not yet been ONE government or media sponsored piece teaching children gun safety. Over the past 5 years, not a single gun safety mention has ever been made after the report of an accidental shooting involving a child. Not one. And yet if the safety message of parents were to be reinforced by the media and our government, the number of accidental child shootings would be reduced by HALF! (Read The Bias Against Guns by John R. Lott, Jr.) Instead of supporting and even sharing such teachings of safety, our media, entertainment industry, and particularly Hollywood glorifies the insolence and rebellion of youth and gangs.

In my opinion, if you are not a part of the solution, then you are definitely a part of the problem. Instead of getting this kind of support funded from the egregious taxes they pay, parents have to rely solely on like-minded friends and family members, or the generosity of private organizations such as the NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gun Safety program, to reinforce the most critical of gun safety rules. If you were to protect yourself and your family from an intruder (rapist, kidnapper, robber), would a telephone or a firearm be more effective?

The facts are that over 2.5 million crimes are PREVENTED every year as the result of the possession of legally held firearms. (as reported by John R. Lott, JR AND Dr. Gary Kleck) How many of those prevented crimes have actually saved the life of a child or prevented the sexual abuse of a child or a child kidnapping? Well, that’s yet one more “research study” that is glaringly missing from the campaign of guns in America. Gee. I wonder why?

Instead of vilifying guns and gun owners, our government should be accurately reporting the facts related to guns and children and guns used in self-defense. And based on the REAL statistics, even encourage and empower more citizens to actually possess and use guns in self-defense and to defend their family.

Consider these final facts. Eight times as many children die from non-gun violent acts than from gun crimes. (Kids and Guns, 2000, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) 82% of homicides to children age 13 and under were committed without a gun. (1997, FBI Uniform Crime Statistics)

Yes. You’re being manipulated. And the overwhelming statistics of SAFETY actually prove that such a distortion of the truth could cause harm to your children. That’s why I wholeheartedly accuse several government officials and leaders, as well as so many so-called journalists of endangering the life of our nation’s children. Unfortunately, if you buy into this travesty of a campaign, the real statistics indicate that it just may COST you or your child their life.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
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