Joe Scarborough
What burglars know about the Second Amendment
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | What would you do if you heard a burglar in your home, went upstairs and found him inside your child's room? If you had a gun, you'd probably aim it at him. And if he ran at you, you'd probably defend yourself and your family. And if you were in New York, you could end up sharing the same jail cell with the convict who was hovering over your child's bed. Don't believe it?
WHEN I WAS in Congress, I lived on Capitol Hill for a year. I spent the rest of my time in my office or living in Virginia.
Why? Because life three blocks from the United States Capitol was too dangerous. Neighbors working on the Hill were routinely held-up, had their cars burglarized, or their houses broken into.
Many of the attacks were brazen and in broad daylight. It took me a while to figure it out, but finally, I did. These frequent attacks came in my neighborhood because Washington has the most extreme gun control laws in America. And no one working on Capitol Hill could afford to have his or her name show up in the Washington Post on an illegal weapons charge. But the thugs who victimized the neighborhood did not share the same concerns, so they roamed at will and terrorized law-abiding citizens, citizens who were not allowed to defend themselves, or their children from such attacks.
It would have only taken one or two Hill staffers firing back in self-defense to send the clear message to criminals that open season was over on Capitol Hill.
And as crazy as the gun laws are in Washington, there is the sad story of the New York man who was prosecuted by the government for defending his family against an armed intruder.
Ron Dixon moved from Florida to New York, worked seven days a week at two jobs, and was looking for the American dream somewhere in Brooklyn. After shooting a burglar who charged him, state prosecutors decided to spend as much time nailing Dixon as they did on the burglar, who was also a habitual offender. Dixon bought and registered his gun in Florida, and was going through the process of getting it licensed in New York, which is a bureaucratic nightmare.
Gun control activists hate to admit that guns save countless lives every year. Some studies suggest as many as 2 million. And the National Review has cited Justice Department studies showing that a criminal's greatest fear while committing a crime is facing an armed citizen like Ron Dixon, who has the ability and the willingness to defend his home, his family and his life.
Outlaw guns, and only outlaws will have guns. It's that simple.
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Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) hosts “Scarborough Country,” 10 p.m. ET, weeknights on MSNBC. Comment by clicking here.
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