Lankins: If not guns, then knives

Mr Hampleman makes some interesting claims, yet cites no sources. But I have some numbers for him from Pew Research:

• You are five times more likely to be murdered with a knife vs. a rifle.
• More than half of all firearm deaths are due to suicide.
• In countries where firearms are banned/outlawed, the number of knife deaths skyrockets. (It’s not a firearm problem; it’s a people problem.)
• The U.S. has the highest rate of firearm ownership, yet ranks 28th in the world for firearm deaths.
• Cities with the strictest firearm laws also have the highest firearm crime rate.

As for the 2nd Amendment: You seem to have ignored the part about “shall not be infringed.” And militia — the actual definition is “a military force that is raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.”

We are not “wacko,” as you claim. If we protected our children the same way we protect our politicians, this wouldn’t be an issue.

Tim Lankins

Basalt