In the wake of the horrible terrorist attack upon our fellow Americans in San Bernardino, as the media is filled with highly opinionated commentary and a great deal of disinformation, I would like to share some FACTS.
Christians and Jews Are Targets
Fact #1: The terrorists may have chosen to attack this group because a Messianic Jew debated with the man. The issue? The Messianic Jew refused to concede that Islam is a religion of peace. No joke.
Fact #2: Islamic terrorists have attacked Christians and Jews overseas.
Fact #3: Most churches are soft targets, with no armed security.
Conclusion: Churches and Synagogues (and even moderate Mosques) are likely to be targeted in the future. Clergy should lead their congregations in establishing real security, and those measures must include multiple armed and trained persons or they will be completely ineffective against armed attackers.
Gun Control and Terrorism
Fact #5: Gun control laws far beyond US constitutional limits did not stop the Kenyan mall attack - they simply ensured that the terrorists victims were unable to effectively resist as they roamed the mall killing helpless people.
Fact #6: Gun control laws beyond US constitutional limits did not stop the Paris attacks - they merely insured that the victims were unable to effectively resist as the terrorists continued shooting people for over an hour.
Fact #7: California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, and they failed to stop the San Bernardino attacks. Having lived under these laws, I am very familiar with them - and most of what has been stated by the media is wrong. Specifically:
1) The rifles used in the attack were obtained illegally. California requires a state and federal background check and change of registration on all transfers of ownership or possession for more than 30 days. This did not happen in this case. I expect that we will see the person who transferred them to the terrorist arrested. Take note: California has no "gun show loophole" and the law accomplished nothing.
2) The rifles used in the attack are illegal to possess under California law. They had been illegally modified by removing the magazine lock that slows magazine changes. They were equipped with muzzle brakes, pistol grips, forward grips, and 30 round magazines - every one of which is illegal in California.
3) California makes it nearly impossible for an average person to obtain a permit to carry a firearm. In fact, the 9th Circuit recently ruled these restrictions to be unconstitutional. The state has appealed. All this law did was insure that no one could shoot back.
4) The building in question is a "gun free zone" - meaning that in the unlikely event that someone had a permit to carry, they could not do so in this building.
In short, California's laws completely failed to even slow this attack - in fact, they made things much easier for the terrorists.
Fact #8: Banning people on the Terrorist Watch list from purchasing firearms is absolutely unconstitutional.
There is no constitutional right to fly on an airplane. This enables the government to place people on the watch list with no due process whatsoever. Such persons are not even notified that they are on the list. In fact, the ACLU is working hard to overturn the watch list because, among other things, there is no due process. The list is a wide net, and many people with nothing to do with terrorism are on it. The Huffington Post (not exactly a conservative publication!) has published at least two articles detailing how inaccurate the watch list is. (See "7 Ways That You (Yes, You) Could End Up On A Terrorist Watch List" and "Ford Motor Co., 2-Year-Old, Innocent Man Have Records In Terror Database".) At one point Sen. Kennedy could not fly because someone with an identical name was on the list.
There is a constitutional right of purchase and own firearms. People cannot be deprived of their constitutional rights without due process of law. Banning people on the watch list from buying firearms is every bit as unconstitutional as rounding up all Muslims and placing them in camps without charges or due process. A law banning people on the watch list from buying guns would be struck down in days, if not hours.
Fact #9: The FBI is notified every time a firearms background check is done on someone who is on the Terrorist Watch list. (See 3rd paragraph of this CNN article.) They are then able to take action if they have real evidence that the person is a threat.
Fact #10: Gun control advocates cannot point to a single instance where any countries gun laws have stopped a terrorist attack. The reason: It has never happened - in fact some of the worst terrorism has happened in countries where the possession of firearms is banned or virtually banned.
Conclusion: Gun control is not going to stop or even slow terrorists. Administration efforts to enact new gun laws are an effort to distract from the real issues and co opt this tragedy to advance their pre-existing agenda.
What Can Stop Terrorist Attacks?
Fact: The head of INTERPOL has stated that armed citizens are the most effective way to stop terrorist attacks like those in Kenya and San Bernardino. In the wake of San Bernardino, several leaders in law enforcement have called for more armed citizens. This includes a New York state sheriff.
Fact: In spite of lies to the contrary, legally armed citizens have stopped many mass shootings.
Fact: Armed citizens are forbidden to carry in places that are most commonly attacked - thus reducing the number of times they are able to stop mass shootings. Indeed, since 2009, 92% of mass shootings such as the San Bernardino and the Oregon College shooting have taken place in so called gun free zones. (More)
Fact: The FBI defines a mass shooting as a incident in which at least four people are shot. Since shootings armed citizens almost always stop shootings before four people are shot, when they succeed, IT DOESN'T COUNT AS A MASS SHOOTING! Talk about a "catch 22"!
Israeli Citizen Using His Gun To Stop A Terrorist Attack
Fact: Israel effectively stopped mass shootings by terrorists by arming large numbers of citizens. In recent years, the number of persons authorized to carry fell to 170,000 - still a huge number when you consider that NYC, with about the same population has well under 10,000.. Recently, in response to stabbing incidents, they have increased the number of armed citizens - leading to many women being called "Glock moms". In fact, the Israeli Prime Minister recently urged all those legally allowed to carry firearms to do so. His call was echoed by the Jerusalem mayor. More HERE.
Conclusion: Ask yourself this question: People are being shot at your church. Do you want to wait ten minutes or more for police to arrive, o would you rather have people in your church prepared to act immediately? I think thre answer is obvious.
Finally, I urge everyone to view this documentary on mass shootings. You will find it quite informative.
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