| Zogby poll finds that Americans favor border control over gun control 3-1 |
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| Written by Daniel White | |
| Tuesday, 13 September 2005 | |
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A recent Zogby poll, commissioned by the Second Amendment Foundation, found that Americans feel that border control is more important than gun control by a three-to-one margin. "An overwhelming majority of American citizens think it is far more important to stop the flood of illegal aliens into this country than it is to restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners," said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb. "Disarming American citizens is not now, and never has been the solution to violent crime, especially when it appears that a growing number of those violent crimes are being committed by people who are in this country illegally." Illegal immigration notwithstanding, the issue of crime prevention has never been clearer than in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Stories abound of looting, rapes, murders, and other crimes following the disaster. Despite reported attempts at civilian disarmament by law enforcement, many gunshops are reporting skyrocketing sales as citizens become more desperate to defend themselves. "We could hardly keep up. We would sell out of everything," said Morgan, owner of Precision Firearms and Indoor Range in Baton Rouge. Unconfirmed reports of up to 200 police officers in the region resigning, coupled with the video footage of two police officers participating in looting, have residents even more worried. (Click 'READ MORE' to continue...) "People are concerned about not having much law and order in place, depending on where they are going," said Michael Clark, owner of Collectors Firearms in Houston. Independent firearms retail outlets are reaping the benefits after Wal-Mart suddenly stopped selling firearms in 40 stores throughout the gulf coast area according to a story in the Boston Globe. A Wal-Mart spokes person attributed the decision to "some very fluid circumstances and changing situations." Local residents, however, are extremely unhappy with the decision. "We had a lot of chaos," Donald Goff, who was sitting in a white pickup outside a local Wal-Mart store, told the Boston Globe. "They should be open to sell guns. They should not be doing this to people." Following the example set by two shopkeepers during the LA riots, many Louisiana business owners are choosing to stop the looting at their stores by arming themselves. Handwritten, cardboard signs bearing messages such as "We Shoot Looters" and "Owner Inside with Gun" are becoming more and more commonplace as business owners do for themselves what law enforcement officials in the region are no longer able to do for them. Both the business community and every day citizen are rediscovering what many of us have known all along. That when the chips are down, you often have nobody to rely on for yourself. Fortunately for all of us, the Second Amendment is there to safeguard both lives and livelihoods. This story may be reprinted partially or in its entirety if Ohioans For Concealed Carry is clearly credited as its source and a link or reference to www.OhioCCW.org is included in the reprint. |