{"id":327,"date":"2007-04-18T08:31:49","date_gmt":"2007-04-18T08:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/afrikaansenuus.co.za\/?p=327"},"modified":"2007-04-18T08:31:49","modified_gmt":"2007-04-18T08:31:49","slug":"press-release-gun-owners-sa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/?p=327","title":{"rendered":"Press Release, Gun Owners SA"},"content":{"rendered":"
More than one year before yesterday’s unprecedented shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, the state’s General Assembly quashed a bill that would have given qualified college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus. Could one legally armed citizen have made a difference at this tragic event? <\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

We also need to ask the question: Do laws prohibiting firearms in certain places really prevent homicidal tragedies? <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

There is a striking paradox associated with mass murders. They are far more likely to occur in areas that have been designated as gun-free zones. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Worldwide, office buildings, hospitals, convenience stores, TV studios,chain restaurants and day-care centres, have all been targets of homicidal maniacs. Mass murders have taken place in such places after they have been declared gun-free zones. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

In 1999, John Lott and William Landes published a US study of multiple shooting incidents. They showed that mass shootings occur less often in areas where responsible citizens may carry weapons. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Do mass shootings ever occur in police stations, shooting ranges or at gun shows? Mass murderers select soft targets for their acts of violence. Expecting a suicidal individual to honour a law prohibiting firearms, is sheer utopian fantasy. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

In Europe, 16 people were killed in a public school shooting in Germany in April 2002. Another two public shootings were the killing of 14 regional legislators in Zug, a Swiss Canton (Sept. 2001) and the massacre of eight city council members in a Paris suburb in March 2002. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

According to John R. Lott, Jr, all three of these European killing sprees had one thing in common: they took place in gun-free zones. Firearms surely make it easier to kill people, but firearms also make it easier for people to defend themselves. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Declaring gun-free zones, risks leaving potential victims defenceless. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

In the US, thugs using firearms at elementary or secondary schools between 1997 and 2002 killed 32 students. The total includes gang fights, robberies, accidents and the so called: "school shootings." All these attacks took place in gun-free zones. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

In Israel, however, teachers and parents serving as school aids are armed at all times on school grounds, with semi-automatic weapons. Since this policy was adopted in the 1970’s, attacks by gunmen at schools in Israel have ceased. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Government officials must be aware that if they create a gun-free zone, they are liable for any harm it causes. Why would those in authority rather see law-abiding, disarmed citizens die, than risk armed citizens harming a criminal? <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

With lives lost in Germany and the United States of America in schools which are gun-free zones, and no attacks by armed gunmen in Israel since teachers and parents serving as school aids have been armed, why would we want any
area declared a gun-free zone? <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

History and common sense prove that gun-free zones are dangerous. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Charl van Wyk <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Gun Owners of South Africa <\/font><\/font><\/div>\n


<\/a> <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

mobile games<\/a>\u0434\u0430\u043d\u0438\u043b\u044c\u0447\u0435\u043d\u043a\u043e \u044e\u0440\u0456\u0439 \u0431\u0440\u043e\u043d\u0456\u0441\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u043a\u043e\u043c\u043f\u0440\u043e\u043c\u0430\u0442<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Press Release: Virginia Tech <\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The murder of innocent victims is a disgrace and our condolences go out to those who have lost loved ones in the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech,
USA. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[426,173],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-c50-south-african-news","tag-news","tag-select-category"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praag.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}