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From: alpert@tramp.Colorado.EDU (ALPERT ETHAN BENJAMIN)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Gun literature requested
Message-ID: <34883@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 25 May 91 05:19:24 GMT
Sender: magnum@mimsy.umd.edu
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
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Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu



I recently decided to purchased a gun and am receiving some flack from some of
my friends and I would realy appreciate some help finding references to use
I support of my decision. I am not interested in NRA literature mainly because
they are a little too right wing to succesfully influence my group of pacifist
friends.  I am interested in references to accident rates and fatalities of
gun owners.  Particularly, Is a gun owner more likely to be injured by a
gun than a non gun owner? Secondly, I am interested in studies of violence
in societies which do not allow their citizenry to own guns. I am also 
interested in finding out about gun free societies (other than England).
Although, these issues will not sway my decision I feel that I need to 
go in to my next discussion/argument about guns with both guns blazing :)

My decison is a purely political one. In the early 1900's most of my extended
family on my fathers side were killed in pogroms in the Ukraine and my mothers
side was taken care of 25 years later by the Nazi's. I honestly believe that
the only thing keeping us more or less free in this country is the fact that
3 out of 5 americans own guns.  I believe we would be in big trouble if only
police were allowed to own guns.  Does anyone else feel this way?  A great
deal of ideological training goes in to police training and it is completely
feasible for police to over step their bounds ( LA for example ) and use
subversive tactics to force submission of the population.  Although examples
of this are hard to find here in this country it is common practice in countries
where we (the USA) train the police forces and we operate post-imperialist 
colonies. Although owning a gun won't solve the worlds problems I am comforted
by the idea that the Nazi who comes to take my family will have a bit of a 
problem. It is only a mater of time that the tactics employed in fighting
comunism come home.

	Comments and reference will be much appreciated,

	-ethan alpert

If anyone is interested in some articles about US "counter-insergentcy" traing
in foreign countries I be happy to mail the references.