"There is no need for guns in modern society. We have non-violent democratic mechanisms for resolving disputes." These assertions are casually thrown around during debates about gun control by those who believe themselves to be more civilized and of course, more morally upright. On the surface, they may sound perfectly reasonable. After all, hasn't society progressed to the point where we no longer need the tools of vulgar barbarity? Nevertheless, they are wrong.Equality requires force, order demands violence
To understand why, we must first look into the fundamentals of how we order society. The liberal democracy is the world's primary political system and regardless of practice, is also the official political system in the Philippines. Its underlying principles are ideas of liberty and equality. Few people realize, however, that these two concepts are at odds and cannot harmoniously exist together. Liberty is a pure condition and can be found in nature but equality is imposed by Man and must be established by force. Humans are intrinsically not equal so equality means holding back some while pushing forward others; groups who discriminate are compelled by the state to desist. Equality requires that freedoms are denied. Continue Reading
Tag: Prohibition
Britain, the gold standard for gun control
Once again, gun control debates are raging in the United States and now, in the Philippines. Every time there is talk about restricting firearms, anti-gun advocates love wheeling out Great Britain as some sort of gold standard. The old narrative should be familiar:
The United States, with 90 guns for every 100 citizens, is the most heavily armed society in the world. As a result of Americans' stubborn love of their right to bear arms, its cities have become mired in violence, gang shootings and school massacres. Britain, on the other hand, known as having among the strictest gun laws in the world, is a far safer society. Gun crime in the UK is minuscule compared to America and its crime rate is much lower.
Reinforcing this view are the recent spate of mass shootings in the US, together with the announcement that homicide in Britain is at a 30-year low. Continue Reading
Anti-gun politicians are the same the world over
Once again, an anti-gun politician shows his hypocrisy. Richard Daley, the mayor of Chicago and long-time anti-gun advocate, has reportedly requested for at least three police bodyguards to provide him with around-the-clock protection after he leaves office. So while pushing for measures to disarm his fellow citizens, he wants special privileges to keep his own family safe. The very same tax payers whom Mayor Daley wants to deny the means of self-protection will soon be paying to protect him. In the Philippines, a number of our own politicians are known to favor gun control yet surround themselves with armed bodyguards. Why the double standards? Perhaps they believe that their lives are worth more than ours. Continue Reading
The Armed and the Dangerous: who are they really? (Part 2)
As a follow-up to my article, 'The Armed and the Dangerous: who are they really?', I would simply like to show two interesting figures from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In all recorded journalist murder cases since 1992:
- Government officials were the suspected source of fire 71% of the time
- The overwhelming majority of victims covered politics (61%) and corruption (41%)
The Armed and the Dangerous: who are they really?
In an article entitled 'Armed and dangerous: more civilians own guns than military, police,' Gemma Mendoza of Newsbreak.ph published some quite sensational statistics about weapons in the hands of civilians. She cites cases of Gerardo Ortega, Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano, all who were victims of firearms-related crime. The article then goes on to quote figures about gun ownership, weapon types, and approved licenses. It was all obviously calculated to cause outrage and lead readers to the conclusion that legal firearms owners are the danger to Philippine society. Continue Reading
Official response to Senate Bill No. 129
PROGUN has released an official response to Senate Bill No. 129. You can read it here. Please disseminate it as widely as possible. Continue Reading
Pro-ban advocates: October stats show no decrease in violent crime
The October 2010 crime figures from the PROGUN Crime Statistics Project are now available.
As you can see, there was a slight upsurge in incidents and fatalities during the Barangay Election gun ban. The difference isn't statistically significant but it is interesting to note that there was no definite decrease in violent crime. Continue Reading
The Real Reason for stricter Gun Control
Fallujah posted this as a comment on the PNP Firearms Circulars thread. However, I think it is important enough to be highlighted in its own article.Why are the PNP clamping down on the licensed gun owners and not the criminals? Continue Reading
UK: Gun-free zone and unarmed victim zone – 12 killed in mass shooting
The UK was rocked by a rare multiple shooting incident on Wednesday. At least 12 people were killed and 25 injured when taxi driver Derrick Bird opened fire in a shooting rampage in Boot, West Cumbria. For around six hours, Police were unable to apprehend him as he was loose in the area. Bird was later found to have committed suicide in a nearby forest. Continue Reading
A perspective from Cambodia and Vietnam
Karlon Rama, who writes for Sun Star was recently in Vietnam and Cambodia. From there he gives us a perspective of other Southeast Asian countries that have enforced a gun ban. Can we expect the Philippines to be much different?
"Unarmed. Cambodia, which I had just left days ago, and Vietnam, where I am currently, are two Southeast Asian countries where private firearm ownership is restricted. Only policemen and soldiers have guns. It is a badge of power. They carry it proudly as they enter bars and help themselves to a bottle of Anchor, Heineken or Halida. The ordinary resident can do nothing. Not surprisingly, stories of human rights abuses here are commonplace. This is the utopia people like Jesus Versoza want to bring about. And yet, on a more mundane level, there is also the existence of crime--the absence of private firearm ownership notwithstanding. Continue Reading