Not the worst, but should be better
Compared to other states, Delaware gun owners are hoeing a tough row.
There are thousands of gun owners in Delaware. Most do things legally, while there are a handful who don’t.
A few weeks back I talked about the best states for gun ownership as part of an odds and ends post.
I was actually considering the same treatment for this one, but I didn’t want it to get too stale as my e-mail box has run dry of interesting items to share. So, as you may recall, Delaware was #32 on the list of best gun states and the same writer, Sam Jacobs, took his shot (pun intended) at describing Delaware’s issue when he went through the worst states.
As Jacobs describes the overall situation:
Whether an individual defines freedom as a life without firearms or a life without government interference, we can all agree that some states do not support gun ownership. Whether it’s a regionally-based cultural divide, or a collective ideology of utopian societies, state legislators represent the voice of their constituents. In this case, some promote individual freedom and personal defense, while others believe the opposite.
We’ve investigated each state’s sales tax, current laws, upcoming laws, concealed carry guidelines, and self-defense statutes to understand better your state’s position on the Personal Liberty and Self-Defense debate.
Delaware is one of those states that “do not support gun ownership,” but believe it (there is no “or not,” you must simply take my word for it) that Maryland is worse. Elections matter.
Where I live, I occasionally hear gunshots, more so in the fall. At that time of year people are harvesting deer, but other times of the year they’re probably eliminating unwanted critters. However, there are other parts of the Delmarva area where shots ring out for different reasons.
Jacobs also takes a look at urban violent crime in a different article, and while Delaware isn’t mentioned, it does have its own benighted urban area to consider.
Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware, but its population of roughly 71,000 is only about 1/8 of the population of New Castle County where it’s situated. So it’s not really a parallel to Bodymore, Murderland or Filthydelphia, but it has its share of violent crime. Out of 94 murders in Delaware in 2021, 39 of them occurred in Wilmington when, based on its proportion of the overall state population, they should have had eight or so.
Yet people blame the gun. As I have said on several occasions, if I pulled a gun out of a gun safe, loaded it, and placed it on the table in front of me, it would gather dust and not murder anyone unless it somehow fired and struck someone fatally because the dogs or cat knocked it off. That’s reality in almost every household, but government believes we are children who should rely on them to defend us. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
A gun somewhere in Sussex County is more likely to be a long gun utilized for bagging a deer than a handgun used to commit murder. Tragedies still happen herein, but they’re less likely because we have cooler heads prevailing here who still value life and don’t feel they need to go settle some beef with another person. You would think there would be road rage incidents up and down Route 1, especially this time of year, but people must limit themselves to honking and waving middle fingers.
There’s a lot less virtue signaling in calling for a newfound respect for life, though, than there is passing some feelgood gun law that only emboldens criminals. If we want the lasting change, the hard work of changing hearts and minds needed to begin yesterday - but better late than never. To close with another old canard, guns don’t kill people, people kill people. If you have an issue and don’t know how to de-escalate your own situation, all the laws in the world won’t stop you.
Crimes of Passion wasn’t just a great Pat Benatar album or so-so movie, it was a real thing. But a little self-control goes a long way, and it’s much better for us than gun control.
Since I didn’t see a good, logical place to divide this post for a paywall, you get a Wednesday freebie from me. But you can still Buy Me a Coffee, since I have a page there now. And remember…