• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About

Guns in the Valley: The Rush is On

January 8, 2016 By Bruce Frohman Leave a Comment

Safer Now?
Safer Now?

On Saturday mornings, the parking lot of the Sierra Arms Company on North Carpenter Road in Modesto fills up beyond capacity. The gun shop conducts classes in concealed weapons carry and the classes are full of people who think they will be safe if they carry “protection.”

Imagine the small concealed weapons that the students are learning to use. Put them up against an assault rifle like the ones used in the December 2nd shootings in San Bernardino, with the assailants wearing a protective vest and body armor.  The holders of the concealed weapons wouldn’t stand a chance.

But many citizens feel threatened, so they want self- protection. As the size of the local police force dwindles and response times grow, insecurity increases. People think that the police are no longer able to protect them; therefore, they must arm themselves.

Syrian refugees have recently begun entering the Valley. Though the refugees pose a minimal threat, fear is reaching ever higher levels; people believe the government can no longer be trusted to provide protection. The anti-refugee sentiment persists even though nearly all terrorists who have acted within the country in the last 20 years were U.S. born.

Many people see concealed weapons as a better chance for survival than doing nothing. Opposition to gun control is growing as fear and hysteria override common sense.

Fear

The unifying factor for those wanting concealed weapons is fear. Everyone fears for his or her life and thinks that carrying a concealed weapon will alleviate the fear.

Sadly, even after arming oneself, the fear never goes away. The kind of fear one has before buying the gun is replaced by new fears. The new fears are worse than the old ones. The feeling of insecurity actually grows. Some gun owners go out and buy more guns, thinking that the acquisitions will make them more secure and eliminate the fear. But the fear never goes away.

Only a gun owner worries about his gun being stolen, about not being able to pull his gun in time during an ambush, about having a child accidentally shot using his gun, about having his gun malfunction when he most needs it, about running out of ammunition in a siege, about the government confiscating his gun, about accidental discharge, and about the fear of all the evildoers out there waiting to gun him down.

As time goes by, the fear manifests itself in anger. The fight or flight instinct takes over. The gun owner sometimes becomes angry and combative. He wants to destroy the source of his fear so that he no longer needs to feel afraid.

Politicians Stoke Fear and Anger

Pollsters have noted the anger of the electorate. Fellow citizens have noted the anger, too; many no longer can talk politics in a civil manner. Politicians have been stoking the fear for political gain; the citizens feel increasingly insecure and fearful. Citizens rush out to buy more guns in a vicious cycle.

As guns proliferate, more guns become get stolen. As more guns are taken, they fall more easily into the hands of felons. When felons have guns, citizens are more insecure. Crimes become more heinous.

The cycle is unending. Politicians are unwilling to impose gun controls because a minority of vocal, angry, fearful people will have none of it. Perversely, those same politicians stoke fears by falsely proclaiming that the government wants to take away everyone’s gun and leave people unprotected.

Valley Hysteria

The Valley attitude about guns is a microcosm of the entire country. Shootings and murders dominate the headlines of the daily newspapers. Every felon arrested reportedly was carrying a gun. How did the felon get the gun? He did not get it legally; he obtained it from someone who did get it legally.

The attendance at the concealed weapons classes reflects the level of hysteria. When he took office, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson had a very restrictive policy about granting concealed weapons permits. Now, the permits are granted generously, enough to fill classes in concealed carry to capacity. Weapons sales are robust. Sporting goods stores and gun shops have proliferated, supported by the growing fear and insecurity of citizens.

 Other States

California businesses and citizens seeking greater security talk about moving to states like Texas, which has less gun control than virtually any other state. Nonetheless, despite the ability of nearly everyone in Texas to own a gun, gun violence there is statistically similar to California, which has more gun control.

A better measure of whether or not increased control reduces gun violence occurs when we compare before and after figures. When Australia increased control after a mass shooting, gun violence decreased; the same thing happened in Connecticut. When Missouri deregulated, gun violence increased. These are empirically verified effects.

The enduring lesson is that fear is a powerful motivator and often leads to ill-considered action, especially when manipulated by politicians. And as long as fear is allowed to dominate politics to the extent that virtually anyone has access to firearms, no one is safe anywhere in the United States, not even in a well-armed Valley.

 

Filed Under: Featured, History

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America's largest rainforest
Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America’s largest rainforest
The Tongass National Forest in Alaska, a focus of political battles over old-growth logging and road-building in forests for decades, has received new protection from the Biden administration.
theconversation.com
As California?s climate heats up, Valley fever spikes ? especially on Central Coast
As California’s climate heats up, Valley fever spikes, especially on Central Coast
Because the fungus that causes the disease spreads easily in hot, arid conditions, the number of cases will grow, UC Berkeley study says
www.mercurynews.com
Activists sue to block Newsom's homeless mental illness treatment program
Activists sue to block Newsom’s homeless mental illness treatment program
Gov. Gavin Newsom championed compelled mental health treatment for homeless Californians. Now, activists are trying to stop it before it gets off the ground.
sjvsun.com
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
How an extreme transformation in American religion poses an existential threat to our democracy
newrepublic.com
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Liam Dillon and Ben Oreskes of the L.A. Times interview Mayor Karen Bass about homelessness and housing problems in California.
calmatters.org
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative…
talkingpointsmemo.com
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
After decades of minimal action, Congress passed the largest and most comprehensive piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. Will we make the most of this opportunity?
www.audubon.org
ACLU sues Phoenix over homeless sweeps, citations
ACLU sues Phoenix over homeless sweeps, citations
The ACLU of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against the city of Phoenix over cleanup sweeps of homeless encampments.
www.azcentral.com
'Full-on crisis': Groundwater in California's Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
‘Full-on crisis’: Groundwater in California’s Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
Excessive groundwater pumping has long been depleting aquifers in California’s Central Valley. Now, scientists say the depletion is accelerating.
www.latimes.com
San Francisco?s homeless sweeps are unlawful ? and the city will pay for it
San Francisco’s homeless sweeps are unlawful and the city will pay for it
San Francisco’s campaign to remove homeless people from the streets clearly violates…
www.sfchronicle.com
A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.'s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here's why
A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here’s why
The Cecil Hotel was supposed to be an innovative new model for permanent supportive housing in L.A. Why is it struggling to fill rooms?
news.yahoo.com
Fentanyl on campus: One Bay Area school saved a student?s life. Another missed the signs of an overdose. Is your school ready?
Fentanyl on campus: One Bay Area school saved a student’s life. Another missed the signs of an overdose. Is your school ready?
Suddenly, Bay Area schools are playing a critical role in combating the alarming rise of fentanyl that is spilling onto high school campuses. But a Bay Area News Group survey found most may not be….
www.mercurynews.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design