Bullets Vs. Bull manure

Guns: The best health insurance

In the last Dose, I posited that earlier in American history, a Winchester rifle was the most potent health insurance (it was the only kind, really) most people could get. I also alluded to how this might still be the case today... Seriously, folks - despite all the mainstream's trumped-up claims about the dangers of firearms (the one about a gun in the home being more likely to harm the homeowner than a criminal cracks me up), the real statistics firmly cement the fact that legally owned and carried guns do far, far more good than harm.

Cases in point, from public records: In U.S. states that DON'T ALLOW law-abiding citizens to pack heat without restriction...

There are 89% more violent crimes than in states that allow "concealed carry" (that's gun-speak for being legal to carry a hidden firearm on your person)

There are 127% more murders than in states that allow concealed carry

There are 25% more rapes than in states that allow concealed carry

There are 96% more aggravated assaults than in states that allow concealed carry

There are 106% more robberies than in states that allow concealed carry.

Let me be clear about these numbers: They aren't statistical tricks cooked up by firearms manufacturers or gun lobbyists. They're from a methodologically rigorous analysis of 100% PUBLIC RECORDS of crime rates per 100,000 citizens across all 50 U.S. states, scientifically compiled by a respected Yale legal research scholar (they're all published in an excellent book called More Guns, Less Crime - a great read).

And these are only a few of the mountains of statistics showing how vital guns can be to good health - in terms of making sure you're around to enjoy good health, that is! As for statistics damning guns, there are virtually no credible ones to be found, despite what the meddling, spineless busybodies on the political left (and in most pediatricians' offices) say.

I've written before about the October 2003 Centers for Disease Control report summarizing studies that found no conclusive evidence that gun control laws reduce crime or suicide (Daily Dose, 11/25/2003). All these numbers prove without any possible doubt that the Founding Fathers had the right idea when it came to slinging lead. Keep reading...

Phrased another way, the argument in defense of unlimited concealed carry rights for U.S. citizens - rights we already have under the Constitution, mind you - shakes out like this, according to the unbiased public numbers in More Guns, Less Crime...

In the seven-year period following the adoption of such laws, U.S. states that allowed unrestricted (or virtually so) concealed-carrying of handguns enjoyed an average:

27% reduction in violent crime

31% reduction in murders

16% reduction in robberies

26% reduction in aggravated assault

8% reduction in rapes

See what I mean when I say guns are as lifesaving as most any drug - and a powerful health insurance policy in their own right?

And believe me, I know people don't want to hear that (especially most doctors), but facts are facts. I just might have to write a book of my own about it. I've already written a few about the unwarranted maligning of cigarettes, UV light and DDT...

My advice: If you don't already have a gun, get one. And if your state allows concealed carry, carry one. The numbers (and the Constitution) are on your side. Shooting you straight, as always, William Campbell Douglass II, MD