Huffington Post seeks to document impact of gun violence, but will they report on the lives saved by use of a gun?

by Chad D. Baus

The Huffington Post is circulating an email to Ohio residents seeking to "document the nationwide impact of gun violence."

Wednesday, April 24, 2013
A Message From The Huffington Post

Hello from HuffPost Open Reporting -

This is a one-time email to our readers in Ohio.

We're working on a project to document the nationwide impact of gun violence, and we need your help.

Since the shooting in Newtown, Conn., on December 14, The Huffington Post has tracked and recorded more than 2,240 deaths across America as a result of gun-related homicides and accidental shootings.

If you or someone you know has ever been affected by gun violence, we want to hear your story.

Give us a call at 860-348-3376, and you can record your story in your own words. Please be sure to include your name and phone number. Or you can send us a note at [email protected] (or just reply to this email).

We will never publish your name or any identifying details without your permission.

Thanks for your help,
The HuffPost Open Reporting Team

While we suspect that this liberal news media outlet is seeking to collect the same type of anti-gun rights rhetoric that BarackObama.com and the President's campaign arm Organizing for Action sought to collect back in February, we thought it might be worth sending them a little information on the other side of the coin - namely on how the use of guns has contributed to saving and protecting lives.

Research shows firearms are used to protect lives as many as two million times every year. "Armed citizen" accounts are published in gun rights magazines monthly. There are also entire websites and blogs devoted to sharing these stories.

Here at BuckeyeFirearms.org, a complete list of known incidents involving Ohio CHL-holders defending themselves is available here.

And yet the BarackObama.com folks haven't see fit to post even one "gun violence" story that shows the benefits of an armed citizenry, nor do I expect The Huffington Post to.

Since I have little expectation it will ever be published at HuffPo, I thought I'd share a message sent to [email protected] by Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine:

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Gun violence
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:39:11 -0400
From: James Irvine
To: [email protected]

Mr. Kainec:

I understand you are doing a story on people who's lives have been impacted by the use of guns. We have over 50 such uses listed here:

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/Ohio-CHL-holders-acting-in-self-defense

There are of course many more, but this gives you a good starting place.

If you want more detailed accounts of some firearms uses, there are many books on the topic. I'll list a few for you"

"Thank God I had a Gun True accounts of self-defense" by Chris Bird
"The Best Defense" by Robert A Waters
"Guns Save Lives" True stories of Americans defending their lives with Firearms, by Robert A Waters
"America Fights Back" Armed self-defense in a violent age by Alan Gottlieb and Dave Workman
"Lessons from Armed America" by Mark Walters and Kathy Jackson

Sadly there are other books that tell the story of what happens when laws prohibit someone from having a gun to defend their life.

"From Luby's to the Legislature" by Suzanna Gratia Hupp tells the story of how Suzanna watched her dad get murdered, and then lost her mom who went to comfort him in his dying moments. She had a gun and could have stopped the killing, but followed an insane law that prohibited her from having it in a restaurant. Thankfully, that law has been changed.

"Feel good" gun control laws have aided in the killing of many people. Every building that has been the scene of a mass murder event in our country has been a location where the victims were prohibited from having a gun to defend their lives. These are premeditated events, and the killer looks for such places because it allows them to achieve a higher body count. As a society, we need to eliminate these so called "gun free" zones which are more accurately know as "killing zones" or "victim zones."

Thank you for doing a story gun violence and what really works versus proven failures. As people continue to learn the truth about firearms and how effectively they are used to stop/prevent crime, more and more people are getting concealed carry licenses. Just like seat belts and smoke detectors, you in the media can be a part of an educational campaign that can save thousands of lives each year. I look forward to reading your story.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Jim Irvine
www.BuckeyeFirearms.org
440-503-3011
Help keep Ohio's Legislature Pro-Gun

If you would you like to share your story about how your life has been impacted by the use of a gun, call The Huffington post at 860-348-3376, and you can record your story in your own words. Please be sure to include your name and phone number. Or you can join Jim Irvine by sending them a note at [email protected].

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.