A view at gun control from a fireman's perspective.

1. A VISCERAL RESPONSE TO GUN CONTROL IS NOT THE ANSWER
By Frank Ricci, Gary Cole, and Justin McCarthy
The murdersof twofirefightersinNewYork and26 individualsatthe SandyHook Elementary
school have stirredthe nation.Perpetratedbytwolone gunmenusingwhathave beendescribedasan
"assaultrifles,"theseeventsare incomprehensible.Itishardto reconcile the pure evil of those twodays
and the overwhelmingoutpouringof humankindnessinsupportof the victim'sfamilies.
In the aftermathof these tragedieswe alsowitnessmisplacedblame andknee-jerkreactions.We
mustn'tbe quickto act out of passionandplace blame onsuch thingsas the type of weapon used,the
magazine init,or the numberof bulletsitholds.We mustlookat whatwas at the heart of these
incidents:twomentallyill individuals.Asanation,we needtohave an honestconversationtowhat
changescouldreallymake adifference.The victimsdeserve betterthanfallingintothe political trapof
windowdressingoversubstance.
Our foundingfathersunderstoodaneedtodeliberate andbelievedlegislationshouldtake time,
otherwise truthcouldbeingthe firstcasualtyinthe warof change.Thomas Jeffersononce askedGeorge
Washingtonwhytwolegislativebodieswere needed.Washingtonstatedhe fearedthatone body(the
House) couldfall victimtothe passionof the people,boilingoverlike akettle of tea.Washington
explainedthataddingthe Senate wouldserve asa more deliberativeandtemperate body,andits
purpose wouldbe tocool legislation.
What is an Assault Rifle?
A true assaultweaponisan automaticweapon,which,whenyoudepressandholdthe trigger,will
continue tofire.The weaponsthatcertainelectedleadersare attemptingtobanare semi-automatic
weapons,whichwillonlyfire once whenthe triggerisdepressed;theseweaponsoperate inthe same
exactmanneras most handguns.
What these leaderswanttodois ban weapons basedontheirappearance,nottheirfunctionality.One
of the oldestpolitical tricksistorename a bill tochange the meaningof itsreal purpose.The political
ideologueshave wonthe day,andforthe purposesof thisarticle assaultweaponswill refertothe semi-
automatic,military-style armsthatCongressandstate governmentsare attemptingtoban.
Risk
As firefighters,we all understandthatinjuryand deathcan easilybe acard dealttous. It isour mission
to minimize risksandhazardsbyconstant training,continuededucation,scientificstudies, andreading
trade publicationssuchas Fire Engineering.We all understandourvocationwill neverbe safe;we

2. mustn'tchange our missionbasedonpure emotion,andneverchange whowe are.AsAmericans,we
face exposure toriskseveryday.Itis critical notto change who we are as a nationbasedoff irrational
fears.
Americanshave ashort historical memory.Few have heardof the BathSchool Disaster,whichwas
perpetratedbyAndrewKehoeonMay 18, 1927. That day, 38 elementaryschool childrenandsix adults
were murderedandadditional 58injuredatthe ConsolidatedSchool inBathTownship,Michigan.He
murderedhiswife,burneddownhisfarmhouse,anddetonateda bombinthe school before committing
suicide.Thisisthe deadliestmassmurderinaschool in UnitedStateshistoryandfirearmsweren't
involved.If anevil,determinedindividualwantstocause harm, evil will alwaysfindaway,regardlessof
the weapon.Proposedlegislationonlyrisklimitingthe rightsof law-abidingcitizens.
Risk Posedby Assault Weapons
If you have beenfollowingthe rhetoric,youwillsee thatfactshave beenabsentfromthe debate.
Analyzingriskfactorsforfatalities providescontextforriskinAmerica.Fatal dogattacks accountedfor
more deathsin 2010 than assaultweapons,yetthere hasbeennocall to bandogs.Below are two charts
we createdbasedoff statisticsfrom2010 compiledbythe Federal Bureauof Investigation(FBI)andthe
CentersforDisease Control andPrevention(Figure 1).These deathsrepresenthomicidesandare broken
downto weaponsused.Whatyou'll findisthatmore people have been killedbyfistfightsthanby
assaultweapons.
Figure 2 representsaccidental deaths.Evenwhencomparedtoaccidental deaths,itisquite apparent
that there isa greaterrisk of deathfromswimminginapool or beingina car accidentthenbeingkilled
by an assaultweapon.

3. In Peace,Fireman; IfInvaded, Soldiers
Datingback to 1736, firefightershave answeredthe alarm, be itfromthe threatof fire orthreat of
invaders.Firefighterswere requiredtosupplybucketsandarms,at theirownexpense.Ourhistoryis
steepedintraditionandpatriotism.
We have a storiedpastas patriots.Most of our founders--suchasPaul Revere,George Washington,John
Jay,Samuel Adams,JohnHancock,ThomasJefferson,AlexanderHamilton,andthe fatherof ourmodern
day fire service,BenjaminFranklin--allansweredthe call toprotecttheircommunitiesfromfire.
Beginningin1792 , whenanelectedleader,police officer,soldieror firefighterwouldbe commissioned,
theywouldtake an oath,as we still dotoday,to protectand defendourConstitution.Thisisasolemn
responsibilitythatrequiresanunderstandingof ourhistoryandfoundingdocuments.
FoundingDocuments and the SecondAmendment
The SecondAmendmentprovidesfor"A well regulated militia, being necessary to thesecurity of a free
state,the right of the peopleto keep and bear arms,shallnot be infringed."
Some wouldlike tobelievethatthe SecondAmendmentiswritteninavacuumwithnohistorical
context.Theyhangon the word"militia,"believingthatonlythe National Guardshouldhave arms.They
not onlyfail tocomprehendthe document,butalsofail tocomprehendthe legislative intent.
NewHavenmayorand a framerof our Constitution,RogerSherman,conceivedthe righttobeararms as
a privilege of everycitizen.He stated"thisisone of hismostessential rights,tobeararms,and to resist

4. everyattackupon hislibertyorproperty,bywhoevermade."JamesMadisondraftedthe Constitutionto
limitthe powerof governmentandguarantee individualliberties.He believedinthe Declarationof
Independence andthatourrightscome fromour creator,not the government.
It isimportantto understandthe historical contextof havingthe peoplekeepandbeararms.The goal
was thateveryable-bodiedboyandmancould answerthe alarmwitharms.The townsand the colonies
storedpowderandcannons,butmost arms were the propertyof the individual.
In readingthe Constitution initsentirety,twothingsare apparent.First,whenthe foundersare
addressingindividuals,theywrite about"rights."Secondwhentheyaddressthe state orfederal
governmenttheywrite about"powers."
The placementof the SecondAmendmentisalsotelling.OurConstitutionwasoriginallydraftedintwo
parts. The firstpart createda systemandstructure of a representative democracy.The secondpart,
knownas the Bill of Rights,coversindividual liberties.JamesMadison,the Fatherof the Constitution,
was concernedthatthe libertieswe woninthe RevolutionandderivedfromGodcouldfall preyto the
government.He draftedthe first10 amendments,includingthe rightsof freedomof religion,
expression,press,the righttobe judgedbya jury,andthe rightto beararms.
Furthermore,75 yearsafterthe draftingof the Constitution,the 14thAmendment,knownasthe Equal
ProtectionClause,codifiedthe 2ndAmendment.The Equal ProtectionClause realizedthe promise of
the Declarationof Independence andthe sacrifice of the CivilWar.The amendmentsimplymeansthat
the law of the landwouldbe appliedtoall Americans.The legislativehistoryindicatesakeycomponent
of the clause wasto protectthe rights of freedslavestobeararms.A man armedis noone'sslave.
Americansoftenforgetwe are ayoungnation.How manyamongus thoughtwe wouldsee the fall of
the SovietUnion,orthat insurgencieswithprimitiveweaponscomparedtothatof conventionalarmy's
wouldbe able tofendoff superiorforces?While we believeAmericawill alwaysfindawayto prosper,
we must keepinmindthatthe free Americanspirit isengrainedinourhistoryandfounding.
The SecondAmendmenthasnothingtodowithhunting.Itisin place toprotect usfrom harm, be it
foreignordomestic.The AR15 isequatedtothe musketof the 1700s, where the alternative tothe
musketwasa bow,stone,or sword.
The Supreme Court
In 2008, the highcourt heldin Heller v.District of Columbiathat"self-defenseisabasic right"and that
individualself-defense is"the central component"of the SecondAmendmentinfederalenclaves.Then,
in2010 in McDonald v.Chicago,the Courtruledthatthe SecondAmendmentappliestoall the states.
The court understoodthe fundamentalandnatural rightforself-defense.Police couldbe minutesaway
whensecondscouldmake the difference betweenlifeanddeath.The FBIreportsthat in2009 there
were 414 justifiable homicides;in2010, there were 387.
Accordingto The U.S. Bureauof Justice,only13 percentof burglariesoccurwhenthe occupantishome,
comparedto 59 percentinBritain,where firearmsare strictlycontrolled.Youcan gleanfromthisdata
that, inAmerica,aburglar ismore likelytomeetanarmedhomeowner.Thisiswhypublicregistriesof
gun permitholdershave unintended consequences,leadingtohigherguntheftsandallowingpredators
to picktargetsthat are most likelynottobe armed.Connecticutexemptsgunpermitsfromthe
state'sPublicInformation Act.Thisexemptionservesasa valuable deterrent.
Enforcement

5. We oftentalkaboutthe symptoms,notthe problems;thisnationhasanenforcementproblem.
Accordingto the Office of Legislative Research,inConnecticut,fromthe year2001-2007, there were
26,725 people arrestedforcurrentgunlaw violations;of those,71percentwere notprosecuted.Ona
national level,gunlawprosecutionsare currentlydown40 percentunderObamacomparedtothe Bush
administration.Howcanyou possiblycreate new lawsif you're notwillingtoprosecute the onesthat
are currentlyonthe books?
A NewYork Times studyof the murdersinthat cityfrom 2003-05 foundthat more than90 percentof
the killershadpriorcriminal records.In1989, theyalsoreportedthatin Washington,D.C.,almostall the
murderershadpriorcriminal records.The data fromcitiesaroundthe nationall show a commontheme,
thisbeingthe majorityof homicidesare committedbyperpetratorswithpriorcriminalrecords.
Minimizingthe Risk with Real Solutions
All firefighters wouldagree thataday withoutrespondingtoa shootingwouldbe ablessing.We must
have honestconversationsonhowwe canminimize deathsacrossthe country.Thisconversationmust
be respectful onbothsides.Remember,mostpeople onthe otherside of the issuesdonothave a
hiddenagendaandhave pure intentions.However,asAmericans,we cannotallow ourrightstrampled
withlawsthat are ineffective and,asstatedearlier,onlyaffectlaw-abidingcitizens.Aswithmost
problems,the answerismultifaceted.Byusingprovenmethodsandsome commonsense,we canmake
a difference.The listbelowistostart an honestconversationtostirdebate.
1. Stifferpenaltiesandlongersentenceswillhelptominimizethe numberof homicideseachyear.
2. Citiesandtownsshouldensure educational opportunitiesandafter-school programs,whichcanmake
a difference incrime prevention.
3. Parentsneedtotake responsibilityfortheirkidsandbe apositive partof theirlives.
4. Tax creditfor gun safesshouldbe usedtoprotectagainsttheft.
5. There shouldbe a backgroundcheck forall firearmswith nonational registry.Itisimportantto
understandthatsome electedleadersmeantopreventprivatesalesof firearms--some evenmeanto
limitthe abilityof aparentto will orgive a giftas a gun. A betterapproach wouldbe toexpandthe
currentbackgroundcheck systemina more comprehensive andthoroughmanner.
6. Trainingand mandatoryreportingrequirementsforhealthcare professionalsinthe case of an
individualwhoindicates thathe isgoingto harm others.Some stateshave limitedrequirements,
howevermostcare providerslacktrainingdealingwiththisissue.
7. A police resource officerin schools.Thisbuildsrelationshipswithkidsandprovidesinformationto
curb violence anddrugabuse.
8. Exemptlistsof gun ownersaddressesfromstate Freedomof InformationActs.
**
By no meansare we minimizingthe problemof gun violence inthisnation.CitiessuchasChicago,St.
Louis,NewHaven,Baltimore,andCamdenall have beenhavensof gunviolence.Sadly,the tragic
experiencesinthesecitiessurpassthe horrorsof Newtowneachyear,andsome eachmonth.As first
responders,we have all beenwitnesstoa lion'sshare of tragedies,andnosingle eventwaslesstragic
than the other.If you askeda doctorwho has performedan autopsy,he wouldsurelyagree one person
has neverbeenanydeaderthanthe other.Deadisdeadno matterthe tool used.

6. We as Americansmustdemandmeaningfulchange tominimize the riskof evenone more tragedy.This
isthe time foraction,but as the greatnationwe are, ithas to be done withsubstantial process,debate,
and deliberation.Sowe askthat youcall andwrite yourelectedleaderstoprotectourrightsthat have
beengiventousthroughthe bloodof greatpatriots.We mustparticipate andunderstandthatthe price
of ourgreat democracyisvigilance.
Lt. Frank Ricci will appearinthe PBS four-partseriesonthe U.S.
Constitution,airinginMay2013. He isa contributingeditorof Fire
EngineeringandaCo-hostof the radio show "Politics &Tactics".He
has lecturedatthe Reagan Libraryon Civil Rightsandthe U.S.
Constitution.Lt.Ricci isa contributingauthortothe Firefighters
HandbookI& II (PennWell 2008.) He isa FDIC instructorand lecturer
and has wona landmarkcase before the US Supreme Court.Frankhas
testifiedbeforeCongressandhasbeenaleadconsultantforYale on
several studies.FrankworksinNewHaven,Connecticut,andhasworkedona heavyrescue unit
coveringBethesdaandChevyChase andwasa "studentlive-in"atstation31 inRockville,Maryland.Is
the leadauthor of Fire Engineering'sTactical Perspective Series: Command,Search, Ventilation,Fire
Attack andMayday.
Lt. Gary Cole isa dedicatedfire lieutenantwiththe New Have Fire
Departmentwith20 yearsof progressivelyresponsible experience in
the emergencyservice area.He hasbeenanoutspokenadvocate for
school safety.
Justin McCarthy is a five-yearmemberof the New Haven(CT) Fire
Department.He holdsabachelor'sdegree infire science fromthe
Universityof New Haven.He currentlyteachesforthe Wolcottand
Middlesex RegionalFire Schools.AlongwithFrankRicci,he co-wrote
portions of the Tactical PerspectivesDVDandPosterSeries.Justin
can be heardas the co-hostof the PJNorwoodShow onFire
EngineeringTalkRadio.
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