Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Issue 35 June 2003 Welcome to the 35th issue of the Minuteman Monthly!!! Thank you very much for visiting www.SaveTheGuns.com and for your support. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to the new SaveTheGuns.com members that have come on board since last month's newsletter. It is solely the members of www.SaveTheGuns.com and a very few contributors that are keeping us online. Membership fees and contributions are ONLY used for Web hosting fees, software, firewalls, anti-virus protection and advertising. I began this effort in January 2000 and have not used a single penny for myself or my family. Thank you very much for doing anything you can. Even a dollar mailed to my P.O. Box would help considerably. Any personal checks or money orders, must be made out to Marc Richardson and NOT SaveTheGuns.com. For those of you who indicated that you would consider a contribution, now would be a great time. Mail any contributions to: Marc Richardson SaveTheGuns.com P.O. Box 31 Raynham Ctr., MA 02768-0031 I have been asked many times about when the SaveTheGuns.com embroidered baseball caps will be in. Unfortunately, I have been raked over the coals by an obviously anti-gun imprinting and embroidery company and have still not received any cash back from the cancelled order. I have found a new company and will be pursuing another effort at getting embroidered caps done at that time. HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW SAVETHEGUNS.COM GIFT SHOP? http://www.SaveTheGuns.com/gift_shop.htm See my message below for details!!! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SaveTheGuns.com Quotes of the Month "When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, "just men who will rule in the fear of God." The preservation of [our] government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded. If [our] government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the Laws." Noah Webster 1758-1843 "Our task and our duty must be to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God, for we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill and the eyes of all are upon us." John Winthrop (1588-1649) Puritan and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1630 to 1649 "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." Adlai E.Stevenson, Jr "...By calling attention to a well-regulated militia for the security of the Nation, and the right of each citizen to keep and bear arms, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fear of governmental tyranny, which gave rise to the Second Amendment, will ever be an important danger to our Nation, the Amendment remains an important declaration of our basic military-civilian relationship, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the Second Amendment will always be important." President John F. Kennedy ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SaveTheGuns.com Safety Tip of the Month If you don't know anything about the gun you are about to use, then seek a knowledgeable person. If you are in a position to use a gun at a range or while recreationally shooting outdoors, with family or friends and you are not familiar with the gun, then ask the owner. Almost every model of gun, operates differently from each other in some respect, whether it be the location of a safety, slide stop or decocking lever. Know how to use the gun safely. If you don't know what you are doing while out shooting with friends and family, don't pretend to know what you are doing. It is always OK to ask questions. Don't be afraid about looking less than macho. If you make a grievous mistake and fire the gun accidentally while handling it, then how would you look? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Minuteman Monthly Aiming Point The June issue of the Minuteman Monthly will focus on the latest full year's statistics on rates of murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault in the United States. This issue will focus mainly upon the comparison between the states with the most stringent gun control laws and those with the least stringent gun control laws and how their rates of violent crime compare with each other. IT SHOULD BE AN EYE OPENER FOR MANY PEOPLE, SO MAKE SURE YOU PASS IT ON TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ <<>> I have recently started a Gift Shop at http://www.SaveTheGuns.com/gift_shop.htm. It features some patriotic products and some gift ideas. I have eight items on there now and will be increasing that in the future. Thank you to all of you who accepted my free bumper sticker offer celebrating the one millionth hit!!! If you get questioned about it, just tell them that you support TRUTH, EDUCATION AND ACTIVISM as a method to fight gun control efforts. Don't forget that contribution you've been meaning to send me. We will desperately need it for next year's election!!! Now, back to the June issue. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The FBI's Uniform Crime Report 2001 Examined The latest full year's worth of crime statistics that I could get a hold of was 2001. I will take a while out of your day to discuss what I have found. Please let me know what you think and send me off a quick e-mail. Minuteman_Monthly@savetheguns.com What I set out to do was examine the most violent states in the country and compare the status of their concealed carry laws and general gun rights standing. I also wanted to examine which states were the safest ones with the lowest rates of violent crime and take a peek at their firearm carry and ownership laws. Here is what I found... In my examination of the report I have found confirmation for many of my long-held beliefs and suspicions concerning the relationship of violent states and their gun control laws. One might guess that someone willing and/or inclined to commit murder never concerns themselves with laws that regulate firearms and I have generally found that sentiment to be true as you might have already guessed. This examination is true and complete to the best of my ability. I have not contrived statistics to fit my agenda, but rather set out to tell the truth on this issue. I hope many of you receiving this read it and pass it on to others. A study of over 3,000 federal felons shows that nearly 90% of convicted felons fear being shot by an armed victim more than being caught by law enforcement personnel. Which is what you would expect to see. Many other studies and well known books by the likes of John Lott and David Kopel as well as anecdotal evidence by law enforcement professionals such as the Lethal Force Institute's Massad Ayoob have shown evidence that violent criminals will act predictably when confronted by an armed victim. In fact, more than 93% of the time, violent criminals will choose to retreat when confronted by an armed victim. This statistic is completely ignored by the anti-gun groups and numerous anti-gun studies on the subject. Let me let you in on a some stats that you might not have heard before: The vast majority of murders committed with firearms in the United States are committed during robberies. 87% of all murders, forcible rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults occur outside the home where concealed firearm carry is most effective. Of the handful of states that had concealed carry laws prior to 1987, each and every one of those states are in the bottom 25 states in rates of violent crime. EVERY ONE OF THEM ARE IN THE SAFEST 50%!!! Of the ten states with the lowest rates of violent crime, only ONE STATE, Hawaii restricts concealed carry. Of the ten safest states, nine of them are concealed carry states. How do you like them potatoes???? Of the seven states (including Washington D.C.) that absolutely prohibit concealed carry, only one of them, Wisconsin, is in the lowest 15 states for violent crime. Of the 25 safest states with the lowest rates, 20 of them or 80% are "shall issue" concealed carry states. Of the 25 most violent states in the United States, 14 allow concealed carry, 7 of them restrict concealed carry and 4 of them prohibit concealed carry altogether!!! Of the top 10 most violent states, 2 of them prohibit concealed carry altogether, 4 states restrict it and another 4 allow it. Of the most violent 6 states plus the District of Columbia, that prohibit concealed carry, they average 601 violent crimes per year, per 100,000 citizens!!! Of the 7 states that have had "shall issue" concealed carry laws the longest (prior to 1987), they average only 193 violent crimes, per 100,000 citizens!!! These truthful and accurate statistics conclusively show that the safest states are those with the least restrictions on the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The anti-gunner can try to twist facts and color their studies as they will, but these are the facts. Something that the far left media elite will never let the general public find out about. Upon final examination of the statistical analysis that I have done, I must say that the top 35 most violent states read like a "who's who" of states with strict gun control laws. The following listed states are all in the top 35 states for murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Washington D.C. #1 Maryland #2 New Mexico #3 (just passed concealed carry this year) Illinois #7 California #8 Delaware #9 Missouri #14 New York #16 Massachusetts #20 Kansas #24 New Jersey #25 Ohio #29 Rhode Island #33 Nebraska #35 The five safest states per capita in the United States are: North Dakota #50 Vermont #49 Maine #48 South Dakota #47 New Hampshire #46 In conclusion, I have but one simple statement to make: Washington D.C., handguns banned. Violent crime rate of 1736.7 per 100,000 people. Vermont, concealed carry with a driver's license. Violent crime rate of 105.0 per 100,000 people. In the state of Maine, one can carry a firearm openly in an exposed holster on the hip and in Vermont, one does not even need a permit, but rather just proof of age and they are both among the safest states in America. When one considers that the top states in violent crime have the most restrictive laws concerning firearms, one might ask those state legislatures and their governor's office, as the afternoon television psychiatrist, turned talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw might ask, "HOW'S THAT WORKIN' FOR YA!!!" <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> As usual, you may copy, print, post, circulate, forward, advertise or otherwise promote this newsletter and the information it contains as long as somewhere in the text of your post, http://www.SaveTheGuns.com is mentioned. Thank you for registering as a Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Recipient. If you don't want this newsletter or the legislative alerts anymore, just send me an e-mail with "Unsubscribe MMM" in the subject line to: info@savetheguns.com