GUEST COMMENTARY: It's time to get serious with criminals

Anti-firearms laws fail to reduce violent crime, rape and murder; however, liberals blame firearms for the deed of the criminal.

It’s apparent that more murders are committed between gang members, drug traffickers and repeat offenders. The police know who these outlaws are, except the conclusion the liberal comes to is, “We need to outlaw firearms rather than outlaw the criminal.”

The liberal goes after the firearm rather than the perpetrator of the crime. Why don’t liberals simply remove the Second Amendment from the Bill of Rights altogether? Our Founders gave legislators that ability.

Is there a motive why they’d rather nullify our Second Amendment one law at a time? Truth be known, if any legislator pushed to remove the Second Amendment from our Constitution, Americans would be so outraged, the politician would never be able to run for office again.

Instead we have disingenuous politicians trying to remove our Second Amendment right through various schemes, all in the name of lowering crime.

FBI statistics reveal that every state that adopted “right to carry” legislation has reduced violent crime, rape and murder by double digits.

The Department of Justice interviewed prisoners, who revealed criminals look for easy targets. Concealed carry and Castle Doctrine laws allow Americans to protect themselves and their loved ones. Criminals know this, and crime goes down as a direct result.

The law of unintended consequences reveals when firearms are taken away from law-abiding Americans, crime increases. Research shows that Americans prevent violent crime, rape and murder about 500,000 times per year, sometimes by just brandishing their firearm.

We only need to look at states like Illinois and cities like Chicago who have the strictest anti-firearm laws: Fewer guns equals more crime.

I challenge liberal Democrats to face the facts and stop the revolving prison door policy that puts these criminals back on the streets.

Go after the criminal and not the law-abiding American who simply wants to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Russell Edwards of Crown Point is an endowment member of the National Rifle Association. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.