Handgun Risks: Another Perspective
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The Jan. 16 editorial "Killing Made Easy" advocated a national ban on handguns and said such a ban had been proposed a decade ago. It then asked, "So what's new today?"
Here's the answer: Since 1993 the U.S. handgun murder rate has decreased 48 percent, even as the number of privately owned handguns in America has increased by more than 20 million. Today, murder rates are at a 39-year low and the rate for total violent crime is at a 30-year low.
Handguns are statistically the most effective means of self-defense against a criminal attack, and handguns are used for self-defense approximately three times more often than they are used in victimizations. It's arrogant and elitist to advocate depriving Americans of the right to decide how to best protect themselves and their families.
CHRIS W. COX
Executive Director
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Fairfax
