From William B. Rogers, M.D.
[email protected]
Date sent: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 02:18:46 -0500
To: <[email protected]>
This letter was sent by our own Dr. William B. Rogers from the Director of Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
to Frances J. Jett, Director of social programming in the United Methodist
Church. Whether or not you align yourself with Christianity, the following
serves to illustrate that, while not all shepherds are worth following, not all
of the flock are sheep, either. Dr. Rogers' comments are interspersed between
those of the text of the foundational statement made by the UMC renouncing
private ownership of firearms. ~~ KeepAndBearArms.com
>From the notice at: http://www.umc-gbcs.org/gun_control5.htm
With the mounting proliferation of firearms in American society, the safety
of our citizens cannot be guaranteed. Crime in city streets climbs, accidents
abound, and suicides soar.
[This is absolutely ridiculous. Crime in city streets climbs in cities
where concealed handgun permits are not issued. Significant and scientifically
accurate data now demonstrate that where responsible citizens -- many of whom
are Christians -- carry concealed handguns (legally!), face-to-face, violent
crime is remarkably reduced. (NOTE: references for this and all other such
"dogmatic" statements I offer here are available at the DSGL
website: http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL.)]
Christians concerned about reverence for life care about what is happening to
many victims of gun murders and assaults.
[True! And for that reason, Christians concerned about reverence for life
learn to protect the lives of the innocent who depend on us for quick, just,
well-proportioned action. That is: many of us now carry guns, have invested
thousands of dollars getting good equipment, learning to shoot accurately and
effectively, and praying constantly that we don't have to do so. But God help
the criminally negligent who would try to harm an innocent mother or child in
the presence of one of our armed brethren!]
In the name of Christ, who came that persons might know abundant life, we
call upon the Church to affirm its faith through vigorous efforts to curb gun
violence.
[The most powerful method of which is to demonstrate to those who would
perpetrate such violence that we, the ambassadors of Christ, will not stand
idly by while they would wreak harm on those among us who are too naive or
weak or otherwise unable to protect themselves.]
In 1974, the last year for which complete figures are available, there were
some 32,000 firearms deaths in the United States. Of these approximately 15,000
were murders, 14,000 suicides and about 3,000 accidents. The handgun was used in
the largest proportion of these death. We know, for example, that 54 percent of
the murders occurring in 1974 were by handguns.
[Sir, this data is outmoded. More recent data demonstrates that most
violence with handguns is perpetrated among those who are already
"outside" the sphere of socially appropriate conduct. That is: most
shootings occur between and among gang members and drug dealers. There are
very few homicides that occur outside this group. Such incredible incidences
of violence as noted at Columbine and in the church
at Ft. Worth, TX, are outliers to the norm. If the teachers (or at least some
of them) at Columbine had been armed and trained in the use of their arms, the
killers would most likely have been stopped in their tracks after their first
shots. God knows that brave teacher who died in his student's arms would have
done well to have met his murderers and those of his wards with a handgun and
training in how to use it. Had a few parents in the church at Ft. Worth been
armed and trained in the use of their arms, he who killed and maimed their
children would have been stopped. Stopped!]
Behind the statistics often lies great tragedy: children and teachers are
being shot in school; depressed persons are taking their lives with guns left
around the house; householders purchasing guns to protect their homes often end
up using them to kill a loved one; police officers are being gunned down in
increasing numbers in the course of duty.
[None of these assertions on your part are backed up with hard data. None!
By claiming such, you are beneath the dignity of science, rational thinking,
and the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ.]
As Christians who are deeply concerned about human life, we intend to do
something about the unregulated access to guns in this shooting gallery called
America.
[Many of us have done something about it. In my home state of Texas, there
are 210,000 adults licensed to carry concealed weapons. This is correlated
with a remarkable decline in violent face-to-face crime in Texas. Compare this
with Washington DC or New York, where a citizen is literally unable to own a
firearm for self protection, and where the rate of homicide is so remarkably
high that it gives pause to one who thinks of traveling to that part of the
country.]
We do not believe there is any constitutional personal right to bear arms. As
the United States Supreme Court has ruled a number of times, the Second
Amendment had to do with the militia, currently comparable to the National
Guard.
[No, sir. You are completely wrong about that. The "national
guard" is analogous to a "standing army" that was tremendously
feared and warned against by our founding fathers. The "militia"
is the group of every able-bodied citizen who may be called upon to defend
home and hearth. Consider the town of Kennesaw, GA, where in the late 1980's a
city ordinance was passed requiring every household to have possession of a
firearm. Violent crime in Kennesaw vanished. Kaput. It didn't happen. The
requirement of the city fathers of that town in Georgia is most analogous to
the original meaning of "militia." How dare you suggest otherwise?
Do you read? Have you genuinely sought legal opinion on both sides of this
argument before fomenting your dictum? I seriously doubt it!]
The United States might well learn from the experience of other societies
where stringent gun control laws are enforced. The gun murder rate per 100,000
population in the United States is 100 times greater than in England and Wales,
where strict gun laws prevail;
[No, sir. No longer is that true, if it ever was. The rate of violent crime
in England is now skyrocketing.
Check your data. England is furnishing the free world with live experiment in
the detriments of "gun control." ]
We believe that the time has come when the United States should move toward a
less violent and more civilized society.
[No argument. But the question is how that should be attained. An armed
society, sir, is a "polite" society.]
Therefore, The United Methodist Church declares its support for the licensing
of all gun owners and the registration of all firearms. Licensing provisions
should require adequate identification of gun owners and provide basic standards
with respect to age, absence of mental illness, and lack of a serious criminal
record. These and other objective standards should be applied in determining the
granting or denial of any license.
[Where do you people come up with this? Who made this decision to speak for
the "entire" body of the UMC? I was never polled. The congregation
to which I belong and serve was never polled. I detect an unspeakable air of
hubris on the part of those of our "leadership" (should that not be
"servantship"?) who would dare to speak for all of us.]
In addition, special controls should be applied to the handgun, for it is the
most deadly and least utilitarian weapon in American society.
[Horsepucky! It is the most utilitarian weapon in American society when
someone who is weaker and less stealthy than a violent attacker is called upon
to defend his (or usually "her") life or limb. A handgun is a tool
that should be carried in every pocket like a pocket knife. You would not
argue that pocket knives should be abolished, or nail clippers? Then I ask
you, if your daughter were being assaulted by a malignant criminal intent on
first raping her and then killing her, which tool would you rather she have in
her purse? A pocket knife, a fingernail clippers, or a handgun that she had
been trained to use? If you answer anything less than the latter, then you are
being foolishly glib, and I am certain, your daughter has never been
assaulted!]
Because the handgun is concealable, it is the weapon of crime;
[No, it is the deterrent to crime. Every district in the United States that
has initiated a concealed handgun program now has data demonstrating a
decrease in violent crime. You do us all an incredible disservice by denying
those facts.]
Because the handgun is available, it is the instrument used in suicides and
crimes of passion.
[Again, no, sir. The availability of the handgun is not the factor for
adjustment. The passion and the despair are to be addressed. But not the tool
chosen by those who find themselves in those conditions.]
Therefore, we call upon the United States government to establish a national
ban on the importation, manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns and
handgun ammunition with reasonable limited exceptions. Such exceptions should be
restricted to: the police, the military, licensed security guards, antique
dealers who maintain guns in unfireable condition, and licensed pistol clubs
where firearms are kept on the premises under secure conditions.
[So...do away with the Constitution? Fail to address good, scientific data
proving you are wrong? What in God's name is wrong with you people?]
In fairness to handgun owners, we propose that those who comply with the law
and turn in their guns be compensated at fair value through a cash payment or
tax credit.
[In fairness to you, if you or your wife or children are walking one day in
your local mall, and if you are assaulted by a crazed, gun-bearing criminal, I
pray that either I or someone like myself who has bothered to take the time
and spend the money to learn to use a handgun is close by so that we may do
all that is in our power to keep you and yours from being badly hurt or
killed. It is highly unlikely that the mall police will be on the scene...they
usually are not, although they will be along shortly to make their official
reports and to tag the bodies. But, perhaps one of "us" will be
there. Maybe you will have a cell phone with you, and maybe you can call 911
and summon some help. That is good. We will need it. If you don't have a cell
phone, rest assured, I will have mine. Here's the deal: I'll toss my phone to
you, and you call the police and the emergency medical people for us all, ok?
I'll be a little bit busy for a few minutes, so I probably won't be able to
make the call just then.
[My question to you is this: would you do the same for me and my wife and
children?]
"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the
propagations of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and
tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
W.Rogers, MD
Director: Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
http://www.keepandbeararms.com/dsgl
