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Ronald Reagan and others comment on “Gun Control” efforts

Series on Gun Control: Part 6

Max Brantley commented on Jan 8th (Arkansas Times Blog) on the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords getting shot and that led to his comments on the state of Arizona laws on guns: “As I said to a pro-carry lobbyist n the comment thread, the motivation of the shooter has no relevance to a fair question about open carry laws: Does widespread presence of openly carried weapons desensitize people to potential threats from people with guns when they turn up at a grocery store? If somebody strolls into the Kroger in Little Rock carrying a weapon, an alarm would be sounded. In Arizona, not so much. Those with concealed weapons have at least been through a background check.”

These comments by Brantley generated over 120 comments in response to this article.  Today is part 6 of my series on Gun Control.

During this series on gun control, I will be quoting from an article “Gun Control:Myths and Realities” by David Lampo of the Cato Institute.

1. Thousands of children die annually in gun accidents.
False. Gun accidents involving children are actually at record lows, although you wouldn’t know it from listening to the mainstream media. In 1997, the last year for which data are available, only 142 children under 15 years of age died in gun accidents, and the total number of gun-related deaths for this age group was 642. More children die each year in accidents involving bikes, space heaters or drownings. The often repeated claim that 12 children per day die from gun violence includes “children” up to 20 years of age, the great majority of whom are young adult males who die in gang-related violence.

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Today I am profiling the State lawmaker Justin Harris.

About Justin Harris

Justin Harris is a small business owner of a faith based preschool, Growing God’s Kingdom. Justin, along with his wife Marsha, have created 33 jobs in the small rural city of West Fork, AR. Justin has been married to his lovely wife for the past 10 years. They have three handsome boys Ethan (8), Isaiah (6), and Caelan (5). Justin knows what it takes to persevere and fight hard, even when life can be very difficult.

Justin was born in Muskogee, OK, to Linda Harris and the late Michael Harris. He grew up in a Pastor’s home, where often times the needs of others came before their own. At the age of 15, Justin’s parents divorced, leaving his family torn apart. During his Senior Year at Siloam Springs High School, he was left to take care of himself. He was able to excel, working full time, became class president, and was able to be in the top twenty of his graduating class.

Justin later went on to the University of Arkansas. He maintained a high grade point average, but due to having to work full time and pay his own way, he had to temporarily quit. Justin later came back, after 15 years, and finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Human Environmental Science concentrating in Child Development and Families. He wanted to show his children that nothing in life is impossible, and God is able to finish what He starts. Justin believes we must do the same, finish what we start. During this time in life, of barely making ends meet, Justin remained grounded in his faith. He attended Living Faith Church in Fayetteville for 9 years. During this time, he met the love of his life, Marsha Frederick, at church and spoke at her University of Arkansas class. Four months later they married, and have been happily married for 10 years.

Justin and Marsha soon had the opportunity to direct a church preschool. They took the enrollment from 14 to the maximum of 61. After three years, they felt like God was calling them in a new direction and they opened up their home and created Growing God’s Kingdom, Inc. They converted their garage into a classroom and taught 16 children daily and had a total of three staff, the three including themselves. Justin and Marsha wanted to make a greater difference in Northwest Arkansas, and opened the current facility Growing God’s Kingdom. GGK has over 33 employees, and 150 children in attendance daily. . During this time, Justin has had the opportunity to be on an Advisory Board for Children and Families in Little Rock. Justin and Marsha were also awarded “Professionals of the Year Award” by the NWA Child Care Association.

Justin continued to see a need that wasn’t being filled. People were constantly needing help, but didn’t know how to go about getting it. It wasn’t financial help, but help for getting things done. It could be a parent needing help with insurance claims, knowing what to do in local, state, or federal government, or maybe needing to know the rights for their own children in public school or home based education. I spent time working for them and was able to get things done for them and make a difference in their lives.

Justin wanted to pursue politics at an early age. Running for Student Body President and carrying around a sign for Bush and Quayle were just a part of his activities. He got involved in local government by serving on the Planning Commission, where he soon became Vice Chairman. Justin wanted to make more of an effort and ran for West Fork City Council, where his term ends December 31, 2010. Justin also works on the Budget and Personnel Committee.

Justin decided to run for Arkansas State Representative of District 87, after much thought, prayer, and discussion with his family. Justin is ready to work hard for District 87 and the people of Arkansas. “I look forward to serving the entire district, and taking conservative values to Little Rock!”