Defensive firearm use is ubiquitous

When I wrote my letter two weeks ago regarding the George Zimmerman trial I vowed not to get into a published game of 'last tag' on that topic. Such discussions rarely resolve anything or change someone's opinion.
But I must break that vow now to respond to the letter from Sue Hannon, President of the Sussex County Chapter of the Brady Campaign, an avowed anti-gun group.
I refer specifically to her statement: "Claims that guns are used defensively millions of times a year have also been widely discredited. It is rare when a gun is used in self-defense."
Those of us in the firearms community, and anyone whose scope of reading extends beyond the progressive anti-gun media, know that by any plausible definition of the word 'rare' this statement is a blatant lie.
For those of you curious about this topic, I invite to you Google 'defensive firearm use'. And if you care to spend the time, read the thousands of stories about firearm owners who stopped crimes in progress, and prevented crimes before they could begin. These are not skewed statistical arguments, but real stories of real people who interrupted or prevented an act of violence with the proper and legal use of a firearm, supported by citations from their local press. I personally read three to five stories a WEEK at the national level like this. And these are only the ones with notoriety. The ones where the crime and violence are circumvented remain completely under the newsworthy radar and are typically not reported.
If then you agree with me that the defensive use of firearms is anything but 'rare', I would ask you to re-read Ms. Hannon's letter and reconsider her other value propositions in that light.
With respect to concealed carry, New Jersey is in practice a 'no-issue' state. If you're not a VIP, politician or 'connected', your rights to possess and use the tools necessary for self-defense outside your home are denied. And that's the way the Brady Campaign and Ms. Hannon like it.
Geoffrey Doll
Fredon