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March 14, 2007

How the War in Iraq Hurts Gun Owners


Since the US launched its invasion in March 2003, the war in Iraq has been controversial to say the least. Politicos, pundits, and average American citizens have debated both its advisability and morality in the media and on the internet. Yet one particular aspect has received very little coverage: how the war affects gun owners.

At first glance, the two issues seem utterly unrelated. Yet research reveals a sobering fact: soldiers from rural America are dying in the Iraq war at a much higher rate than their urban brethren. In fact, nearly _half_ of the military fatalities in Iraq have come from towns with a population of under 25,000, and one in five have hometowns of less than 5,000 ( http://tinyurl.com/2kqzbb ).

What's the connection, you ask?

Rural residents are far more likely to be gun owners. One study in the medical journal _Pediatrics_ showed that rural households are nearly three times more likely to have firearms than urban households ( http://tinyurl.com/2tk6he ). The 2004
National Firearms Survey backs this up, stating that "(f)irearms are most likely to be owned by white men who live in a rural area" ( http://ip.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/13/1/15 ).

If this information is accurate -- and we have no reason to believe otherwise -- then statistically speaking, it is probable that more gun owners than non-gun owners are dying in the war.

That means there are that many fewer Americans who actively support firearms ownership. That many fewer Americans who understand the necessity of these useful tools. That many fewer Americans who know about their right to keep and bear arms. And -- given the average age of these war casualities -- than many fewer Americans who will in turn have children of their own to whom they will teach the value of firearms ownership.

We mourn not only the loss of our fellow Americans, but the loss of their influence on one of our most important, fundamental rights. If you belong to a gun club or range group, or simply wish to help honor these brave men and women who have sacrificed themselves for their country, consider perhaps teaching a class, giving a talk, or otherwise educating a youth group on the importance and value of the Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment. In doing so, perhaps in some small way we can make up for the loss of an American who can no longer do this for his own children or community.

- The Liberty Crew

Related Links:

The Forgotten American Dead: Rural America Pays the President's Price in Iraq

Texas Hispanic Soldiers Dying at Higher Rate: Iraq Toll Falls Unevenly on Latinos, Rural Whites


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