No Right to Life without Right to Bear Arms, says John Snyder

“There’s no right to life without a right to keep and bear arms to defend life,” a gun rights expert says.

“Gun rights are life rights,” John M. Snyder added. “That’s the reality.”

Snyder,  a practicing Catholic and director of Telum Associates, noted figures from the Department of Justice indicate the rate of defensive gun use is six times that of criminal gun use.

“As concealed gun carry rates increase, murder rates decrease,” Snyder said. “Concealed carry permits have increased by 130 percent as murder rates have dropped by 22 percent between 2007 and last year, notes the Crime Prevention Research Center.”

Snyder says statistical surveys by criminologist Gary Kleck of Florida State University indicate that for every accidental death (802), suicide (16,869) or homicide (11,348) with a firearm (29,019), 13 lives (390,000) are preserved through defensive gun use.

Kleck also estimates people in the United States every year use guns to defend themselves against criminals 2,500,000 times, more than 6,500 people a day, or once every 13 seconds, Snyder contends.

“People who claim to be pro-life and promote gun control at the same time should take note,” Snyder said. “They’re off the beam. This includes the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He added: “Guns save lives. Gun rights are life rights.”