Sharpshin

OK, with the understanding that this is a bicycle board I'll keep this as brief and entertaining as possible.

Hard to get outside of anecdotes in something like this, but after all, one woman's anecdote can become a political party's important piece of evidence (Let's call this the "Sandra Fluck Effect"). But, if one collects thousands of anecdotes normalized by means of a directed survey, that then becomes either a "landmark study" or a "total croc" depending upon one's biases.

John Lott has published on this, and been justifiably attacked by actual statiticians (see http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2003/03/30/lottreply8/ ), however few take issue with Lott's contention that most of the time, under legally justifiable circumstances, brandishing deterred the crime.

Hmmm.... as a demonstration of the principle of brandishing to deter, do the Korean store owners standing on their roofs with shotguns during the Watts riots constitute an "actual case" or an anecdote?

Not on film; eight cases of brandishing, one actual shooting, and one actual murder in the absence of a firearm involving people known to me personally. Make of them what you will.

#1 ) Lawyer in New Orleans and
#2 ) Retired Cop in Florida, both of whom stood guard over their property brandishing firearms after major hurricanes and deterred presumed looters (in both cases other properties in the area were looted).

#3 ) Friend in Houston, wrong side of town early hours of the morning, merely lifted his handgun into sight when party of delinquent looking local young men crossed the street specifically to interact with him inside his parked vehicle.

#4 ) Woman, highway rest area, early hours of the morning, approached in her vehicle by delinquent looking young man.
#5 ) Motorcyclist, napping on highway rest area table late at night, approached by delinquent looking man. In both this and the previous case the suspicious individual merely returned to the shadows
#6 ) Motorcyclist, highway rest area late at night, came out to find one of a party of three outlaw biker-looking types actually sitting on my friend's motorcycle while demanding the keys. They climbed back into their pick-up and drove off after he displayed a firearm (hadgun in shoulder holster inside his jacket).

Not to suggest all or even many rest areas are dangerous, I've napped at lots myself, including on the ground next to my motorcycle. But if ya want to sit and watch actual drug exchanges go down. like one after another, go and rest after dark at the one on I 10 just west of El Paso/Juarez

#7 ) Truck driver, South Texas Eagle Ford oilfield ( high drug and illegal immigrant trafficking area), approached by several individuals on foot out in the brush at night.

None of the above reported to the police by either party. Only in case #8 I believe was a gun actually pointed at anybody.

#8 ) Rancher, South Texas, just this week, miles from any road encountered and surrounded by group of twelve Chinese Nationals. He drew his gun, had them get into the back of his truck, drove them to the main ranch house barn, and gave them food and water while waiting for the Border Patrol.

The case involving an actual shooting.....
#9 ) Three doors down from me, several years back, retired neighbor shoots and kills an intruder in his home.

...and the murder....

#1 0) It may be that the intruder in #9 would have fled if given the chance, but in an exactly similar case we had a student several years back actually arrested on-campus after murdering an elderly man in his home that very morning (part of a gang initiation). Since the victim was struck on the head with a heavy tool, brandishing a firearm if he had one may have saved his life.

Running long here, as I said make of it what you will. You should know that you ridicule from Massachussetts what is pretty much normal practice over more than half the United States: If your travels have taken you anywhere in the American South or Intermountain West you have been around literally hundreds of discretely carried or transported firearms. Heck, in Vermont just ANYBODY who can legally own a handgun can stick one in their pocket when they go out and about, no tests or permits required, tho' I doubt all that may do up there.

Which brings up another point: Lott was justly castigated for claiming that more guns meant less crime. I agree with a recent Harvard Law study that found no correlation either way.

However, having grown up in shaved-headed, steel-toed Working Class England during the "Clockwork Orange" era, I will observe that the fun-loving lily-White residents of gun-free Glasgow even today somehow contrive to have a murder rate three times that of the 80% Brown residents of San Antonio TX (one of the largest poverty areas in the US), where we are all knee deep in handguns, relatively speaking.

YMMV,
Mike