This was sent to me as newsletter editor:
------------- Forwarded message follows -------------
Date: 10/23/2005 20:18:50 -0700
From: "steve leys" <leys@netscape.com>
To: <editor@lpsf.org>
Subject: We all must fight the threat of Proposition H
Hi,
I am not a Liberterian but I respect the right to bear arms. Here
is a letter that I submitted and was printed in our local
newspaper on Friday, October 21. In the opinion page the editor
gave it the title, "Gun laws mean more prey." I am hoping that you
can use the logic in this letter in your adds or letters as we all
must fight the threat of Proposition H.
Sincerely,
Steve Leys
----- Original Message -----
From: steve leys
To: Editor Opinion Page
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 7:32 PM
Subject: Gun control unfeasible
Re: James R. May's Oct. 18 letter, "Gun control unfeasible."
May was right on when he wrote that "Gun control only affects
law-abiding citizens and only makes them more likely to become
victims."
In the book titled "Guns and Violence: The English Experience"
Bentley College historian Joyce Malcolm notes:
"The peacefulness England used to enjoy was not the result of
strict gun laws. When it had no firearms restrictions England had
little violent crime, while the present extraordinarily stringent
gun controls have not stopped the increase in violence or even the
increase in armed violence. By opting to deprive law-abiding
citizens of the right to keep guns or to carry any article for
defense, English government policy may actually be contributing to
the lawlessness and violence afflicting its people."
How does the English experience relate to those of us who live in
California?
There is a balance of power between law-abiding citizens and the
criminal element. That balance of power is measured by the local
crime rate. If the crime rate is low, it is because there are few
citizens who are viewed by the criminal element as ideal prey. If
the crime rate is high, it is because there are many citizens who
are viewed by the criminal element as ideal prey.
Whenever a new gun-control law is passed, a new group of
law-abiding citizens loses access to the means to defend
themselves. This increases the number of citizens who are viewed
as ideal prey by the criminal element. The laws of nature apply,
and the presence of more prey leads to an increase in the numbers
of predators.
I wholeheartedly agree with May that to reduce crime, we citizens
in California should follow the other 37 states that have
shall-issue concealed carry laws.
Stephen Leys
Thousand Oaks