NFL Commish Says You Don't Need Guns, Just Avoid Crime! PDF Print E-mail
Opinion
Written by Daniel White   
Tuesday, 09 December 2008 03:48

In the wake of the Plaxico Burress accidental self-shooting, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is telling NFL players not to bother with firearms for self-defense.

"The real issue to me, is when the players feel they’re unsafe, they shouldn't be there," Goodell said. "So get out, don't be there. If you feel the need to have a firearm to be someplace, you're in the wrong place."

We've all heard this faulty logic over and over. The problem is, criminals can strike anytime and anywhere. Is the Commissioner suggesting that every victim of a violent crime is at fault for being somewhere they shouldn't be? That would be like telling a rape victim she was asking for it!

Taking responsibility for your own safety, whether that be by traveling in groups, carrying pepper spray, or carrying a firearm, is something to be commended. But deceiving yourself by thinking that you can completely avoid crime can only lead to disaster.

Sure, you can take some steps. Walking down an inner city dark alley at 3am covered in gold jewelry runs a higher risk of being targeted by a criminal, but most crimes don't occur at some extremes. They occur while leaving stores, making transactions at ATMs, walking to your front door at night, and many other activities which are completely innocent.

Plaxico Burress was ignoring several of the many safety rules taught at any basic NRA safety training class. According to reports, the ".40-caliber Glock he was carrying in his waistband slipped down his leg, and as he grabbed at it, he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the thigh."

Every firearms safety instructor worth his salt will tell you that carrying a firearm without a holster is a poor idea. Carrying without a holster is a lot like playing football without a helmet and pads. Having the proper equipment greatly reduces the risk of injury.

Grabbing at a gun without regard for the direction the muzzle violates one of the Big Three safety rules (ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction), and when he pulled the trigger he was violating another (ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot). Hindsight is 20/20, but had Plaxico simply let the gun fall, it probably would not have gone off.

Instead of giving feel-good-but-accomplish-little advice to avoid crime, Goodell should instead be suggesting that NFL players who choose to carry a firearm for self defense get the proper training and equipment to be sure they can safely handle that firearm.