Several years ago there was a scientist here in Memphis who did a study of murders in two different urban areas, seeing if the presence or absence of a gun in the home was a trigger for, or a protection from, murder. There are very few that occur by the unknown mystery assailant waiting for the chance to kill. Most are actually committed by people known to the victim: a relative, a friend or an acquaintance. About 10-20% of those deaths would be from gunshots – some accidental, some suicide, but most would be homicides. I was a medical examiner in Memphis from 1961 until 1999, and during that period I performed thousands of autopsies. Jerry Francisco Jerry Francisco (pictured in 1997 and now). When I called them and told them who I was and what I wanted to do, the NRA attorney said, “Sheriff, we’ve already been preparing the paperwork on this case and we’ve been praying that you would call.” The National Rifle Association (NRA) helped me with the lawsuit they bankrolled the whole thing. I am the only sheriff in American history to file a lawsuit against the federal government, take it all the way to the supreme court, and win. The case asserted that the Brady bill (a gun control law that demanded background checks) was unconstitutional. I won a lawsuit against the federal government in 1997. It is the great equaliser: if two people have a gun, they’re equal. And make sure that the law-abiding citizen is ready, capable and prepared to shoot back. What are you going to do – confiscate them all? If you want to go after criminals who misuse guns, then the first time you arrest them, keep them. I am a free American: I can have a gun if I want to. What a gun represents to me is the liberty that we have here. In that original photograph, I wanted to display the gun to show how much I am dedicated to the principles of liberty. I am very religious and I believe that freedom is a gift from Almighty God. Since the first photograph was taken, I think I’ve got stronger in my views about freedom and liberty and the right to keep and bear arms. Richard Mack, former sheriff, Phoenix, Arizona As long as they’re in the right hands, no one should be afraid. If something happens, my dad’s just a call away, and if the worst comes to the worst, I know he’ll protect me. I feel perfectly safe no matter where I go. I think if the pro-gun and anti-gun people sat down and thought about it, and had a little bit more of an open mind, there could be compromise. I don’t think the government are trying to ban them completely, they’re just going to try to regulate them. But I don’t think gun controls are so bad. I believe if you want a gun to protect your family, then do it if you feel you need it. My views on guns aren’t the same as my father’s. The teachers pulled me to the side and asked me, “Why did you bring this into school?” I said, “Because this is a nice picture. When I was in first grade, I took the picture in to school for show and tell. He’s not trying to harm me – he’s trying to protect me. And I tell them he wasn’t – his finger wasn’t even on the trigger. My friends’ parents have wondered why I was OK with Dad pointing a gun in my face. I was six months old in that photograph, and now I’m 21. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. They keep pushing all those judicial regulations one day, the American public is going to put their foot down and say enough is enough. And the ruling class, the political class, whatever you want to call those clowns in Washington, they have forgotten that: they think we work for them. The government is supposed to be working for us, not against us. I am looking out for myself, my family, my neighbours. There are certain areas that I would not want to walk without being armed. Let people carry – then, if someone pulls out a gun, you have a bunch of people that will take them down. What does every single mass shooting have in common? “Gun-free zones.” I think it is fantastic that certain school districts are now training their teachers so they can carry a weapon in school.
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