Globe and Mail: Forget guns, Stern says
Date: Oct 26, 2006 9:02 AM
PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
DATE: 2006.10.26
PAGE: S3
SECTION: Sports
SOURCE: AP
EDITION: Metro
WORD COUNT: 186

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BASKETBALL Forget guns, Stern says

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David Stern understands having a gun to protect your home. He’s not
convinced carrying one on the streets makes you any safer.

For that reason, the NBA commissioner said yesterday that he would
prefer his players leave their firearms behind when they go out.

“It’s a pretty, I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a
gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically,” Stern
said in telephone conference call. “We think this is an alarming
subject, that although you’ll read players saying how they feel safer
with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe.

And it’s a real issue.” It’s one that was raised recently when the
Indiana Pacers’ Stephen Jackson shot a gun in the air at least five
times outside an Indianapolis strip club on Oct. 6.

The NBA’s collective labour agreement allows players to own licensed
guns, but they can’t carry them on any league or team business.

Asked what kind of firearm rule he would want if collective bargaining
weren’t involved, Stern said: “I would favour being able to have a
firearm to protect your home. Period.”

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !