PART ONE

In places where citizens are allowed to carry guns...

GEORGIA - According to a report by Lori Geary of WSB-TV and Richard Sangster of WSB Radio May 23, 2000, a violent home invasion was thwarted in South Fulton, Georgia by an armed resident.

One of two men trying to rob the mobile home was shot and killed by one of the residents.

Police say the invasion happened about midnight and several people were in the trailer when two gunmen entered through an unlocked door. The robbers fired, hitting one of the residents. Then someone in the trailer fired back, hitting one of the robbers in the head, killing him. The other man got away.

The victim in the trailer remains in stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

FLORIDA - According to the May 24, 2000 St. Petersburg Times (Florida), Sandra Suter, a 53-year-old grandmother of two, was standing in the check-out line at Wal-Mart in Springhill on Monday when she saw several store employees wrestling with a man.

"Drop the knife! Drop the knife!" one of the employees yelled at the man, who authorities say was trying to steal a VCR. The man, identified as Willie J. Redding, dropped the appliance, pulled a small blade and lunged, cutting two employees, a Hernando County sheriff's report said.

Suter reacted. Within seconds, she rushed to the scuffle.

"I have a concealed weapons permit," she announced as she whipped out the .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun she keeps in her purse.

"Either drop the knife, or I'll shoot you," she said as she held the weapon to the man's face.

After a few tense moments, during which Suter repeated her threat, Redding dropped the knife and surrendered to store security. He now faces a charge of armed robbery and two counts of battery.

After the arrest, several employees, who did not need treatment for minor cuts, and a Hernando County sheriff's deputy thanked Suter for her decisive action.

COLORADO - According to Desert News, Monday, May 22, 2000, a man named Mike Kooyman reported that his father had just shot and killed an intruder in the couple's West Central City home about 2:45 a.m. Sunday.

The intruder pounded on a sliding glass door until it broke and then entered the home, Salt Lake Police Lt. Jim Jensen said.

"From what my dad told me (the intruder) looked at my dad with death in his eyes and said 'Adios, amigos'; they were terrified," Kooyman said. "My dad fired a couple of shots to the side as a warning, but he came at them violently."

Kooyman's parents, who do not share the same last name as their six children, have asked that their names not be used in the paper.

Just before the man broke into the home, the couple was awakened by their barking dog. They called police and yelled at the man to leave, but he still entered the home, police said.

The intruder was hit by one bullet and pronounced dead at LDS Hospital, Jensen said. The dead man had been tentatively identified by police Monday morning, but his name was not being released pending that verification, Lt. Jim Hill said. The homeowners told police they did not recognize the man.

"If they were unarmed they wouldn't be here today. I don't think (the intruder) was there to steal anything, but he was there to hurt them," their daughter said. "Unfortunately, the elderly are the ones that often get victimized. I don't think they should be forced to put bars on their windows, but that's how older people have to live nowadays. We are definitely pro-gun rights. I'm going to go get one tomorrow."

PART TWO

In places where citizens can't get concealed carry permits to defend themselves...

NEW YORK CITY - According to Reuters News Service May 25, 2000, two gunmen walked into a Wendy's restaurant in Queens Wednesday night, tied up seven employees, shot five dead and wounded the other two in an apparent robbery attempt, police said Thursday.

Police were searching for the two suspects in a massive manhunt in and around Flushing, Queens.

The five, who ranged in age from 18 to 44, were killed after the gunmen walked into the fast-food restaurant around closing time at 11 p.m..

When police arrived at the scene, they found two wounded victims in the restaurant area and five other people in a walk-in refrigerator in the basement, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives William Allee told reporters.

"All of those victims, four males and one female, had their hands tied behind their backs and had duct tape across their mouths and apparently all were shot," Allee said.

One of the wounded was able to untie himself and call the emergency number 911 for help, police said. One survivor was in serious condition and the other stable at New York Hospital/Medical Center in Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City.

Police believe the two gunmen were intent on robbery but it was unclear what led to the shooting.

In 1995, a gunman opened fire at a shoe store in the Bronx, killing five people. The same year, a gunman opened fire in a Harlem store and then set it alight, killing himself and seven other people.

This happened in one of the cities with the toughest gun control laws in the United States, a place where it is illegal for nearly everyone to even own a gun, let alone carry one for self defense. The REAL CRIMINALS responsible for this are the CRIMINALS who advocate for and pass strict gun control laws.

FLORIDA - May 26, 2000 According to the Associated Press, a Lake Worth middle-school student shot and killed a seventh-grade language teacher in a classroom Friday during the last period on the final day of classes, police said.

Barry Grunow, 35, of Lake Worth, was shot in the face at Lake Worth Middle School at about 3:30 p.m., according to Mabel Cardec, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County School Board.

Students witnessed the shooting, but there were no other injuries, Cardec said.

CONCLUSION

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's happening here. Out of five incidents that made the national news in a single week, three involved successful defensive use of a handgun by citizens who thwarted armed robbery attempts. Two of those put the robbers where they won't harm anyone else, six feet under. In all three cases no victim was killed or seriously hurt. In the two incidents involving innocent victims killed by gunmen, BOTH occurred in places where the law abiding are prohibited from having guns.

The conclusion is pretty simple:

1)  Guns prevent crime and save lives everywhere they are legal for law abiding citizens to carry.

2)  Guns are NOT kept out of the hands of criminals in places where strict gun laws prohibit people from having them.