2004 Volume 1

Armed Citizens Save Lives

On 25 July 1993, five terrorists attacked the congregation at St. James Church of England in Cape Town. In about 8 seconds the terrorists had killed 11 people and wounded or crippled 53 as they hurled handgrenades and fired directly into the packed congregation. Only the prompt action of one armed member of the congregation ended the bloodshed. Drawing his revolver, Charl van Wyk fired back at the terrorists, wounding one and causing the heavily armed assailants to flee.

A United States Justice Department study (of more than 32 000 rapes or attempted rapes) found that the best protection against rape is for a woman to be armed. When a potential victim was armed only 3% of the rapes succeeded (Rape Victimisation).

A South African study, Armed Private Defence, by John Mann, concluded that when an armed victim resists, the chances of surviving the attack are increased by 31 times (SAGA News).

Professor John Lott of the University of Chicago Law School has published his exhaustive 18 year study on firearms and crime. "More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws" documents that gun control laws are counter productive - leading to an escalation of violent crime. In fact those states with the largest increases in legal gun ownership have also seen the most dramatic decreases in violent crimes.