SIX MADISON AWARD WINNERS
The topic of self-defense and concealed carry licenses, taggant additives to gun power, outright gun bans, and using gun control as part of a political platform have all become hot topics around the country. The Second Amendment Foundation is proud to announce that six Madison Awards have been selected for pro-gun columns and editorials. Madison Awards are given in the spirit of James Madison, Fourth U.S. President and author of the Second Amendment.
Our first recipient is Joe Gillette for his commentary entitled, "Don’t Tell Near-Victim She’d Be Better Off Without Gun," which ran on August 22, 1996 in The Courier-News from Elgin, Illinois. The article began by detailing how, "Catherine Kuester heard a vehicle pull up outside" her home. She watched two approaching strangers and saw that they were both armed. When they refused to leave and started kicking in her window, Ms. Kuester scared them off by showing that she had a gun to defend herself.
Mr. Gillette continued that, "It wasn’t until later that, reading of the arrest of a pair of 16- and 17-year-old youngsters from Illinois, she realized just how close a call she may have had. . . She recognized her unwanted callers as the very same youths now charged with the murder," of another woman.
His article then detailed several of the new studies on concealed carry laws reducing crime and Mr. Gillette concluded that nobody should try to convince Catherine Kuester that, "she and her 10 month old son would be better off right now if there had been no handgun in her home."
Our second award winner is Ray Archer, an editorial writer for the Arizona Republic. His guest editorial, "New Statistics Don’t Support Gun Control Rhetoric," appeared in the August 30, 1996 edition of the Recorder out of Sacramento, California. His column informed readers of recent studies supporting concealed carry laws as a way to reduce violent crime.
His editorial began by stating that modern day "OK Corrals" never materialized as predicted by anti-gunners in any states after the passage of concealed carry legislation. Mr. Archer cited David B. Kopel’s study on Florida and a new study by two University of Chicago researchers.
Based on the evidence, Mr. Archer concluded that, "The OK Corral, as far as I know, remains a tourist attraction in Tombstone, under which the arguments against concealed carry permits rightfully should be buried."
Our third Madison Award goes to W.R. "Gig" Giacona for an op-ed piece entitled, "Concealed Handguns Contribute To Creating Polite Society." This article, which appeared in the August 23, 1996 edition of Arkansas’ El Dorado News-Times, began by highlighting how around 8,200 concealed carry licenses have been issued in the past year under the new carry law in Arkansas.
Giacona referred to the same Chicago study which found that, "If the rest of the country had adopted right-to-carry concealed handgun provisions in 1992, at least 1,570 murders and over 4,177 rapes would have been avoided."
Giacona continued that, "My only problem with the situation is that enough people aren’t taking advantage" of the right to carry. Giacona also urged everyone to take an approved safety class required for the carry license and warned, "Don’t count on someone else to protect yourself or your family. That is your responsibility."
The fourth recipient of the Madison Award is Ron Parker for his opinion column entitled, "Go After Criminals, Not Gun Owners." His column appeared in the August 30, 1996 issue of the Siskiyou Daily News out of Yreka, California.
Mr. Parker’s editorial began by warning that, "The present presidential administration thrives on the disastrous event to further strip our law-abiding society of more of their constitutional rights." He then detailed why taggants in gun power would be both dangerous and ineffective.
Mr. Parker concluded that, "This administration wants more and more reliance on a government that cannot protect our society."
Our fifth award winner is the Record from Stockton, California for their September 8, 1996 editorial entitled, "Forget Popular Bans On Cheap Handguns." The editorial began by listing California cities which have passed such bans and lamented that it won’t be long before Stockton will consider a similar ban.
The editorial found such a ban ineffective since, "The vast majority of firearms used in Stockton homicides were obtained illegally and that two-thirds of the suspects were under the legal age to buy a gun. The Record also correctly pointed out that, "A cheap ‘Saturday night special’ is not less deadly than a Colt or a Smith" and that such a ban, "Discriminates against those who want a handgun for legal purposes but can’t afford a Colt, S&W or whatever."
Our sixth and final recipient is Jeff Jacoby for his column entitled, "Democrats Misfire On Gun Issue," which appeared in the September 8, 1996 edition of the Rocky Mountain News out of Denver, Colorado. His op-ed began by stating that, "Democrats are the party of widening government power, so it stands to reason that they are the party of gun control."
Mr. Jacoby then detailed many of the statements and "solutions" offered by Bill Clinton and his clones. Jacoby then suggested that the 1994 elections showed that this is not the brightest political strategy. Instead of fearing and loathing guns, Americans fear and loath, "Violent crime -- and they know that guns can make them safer," according to Mr. Jacoby.
"But Democrats have a problem talking honestly about crime. Cracking down on criminals makes many of them uneasy; so they demonize guns as a substitute. It isn’t a very good one. In a nation where gun ownership nears 50%, it isn’t a very shrewd one, either," concluded Jacoby.