---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . when the target of crime is armed…"
description: "\". . when the target of crime is armed, there is more law present, more public policy present, and more public interest served than by all 20,000 gun la..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png"
---

#  . . when the target of crime is armed, there is more law…

![“. . when the target of crime is armed, there is more law present, more public policy present, and more public interest served than by all 20,000 gun laws in force.” quote by John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png)

> “. . when the target of crime is armed, there is more law present, more public policy present, and more public interest served than by all 20,000 gun laws in force.”

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that when a criminal is armed, the response involves more law enforcement and policy attention than the myriad existing gun regulations can provide.

**In simple terms:** Armed crime draws more legal and policy focus than many gun laws.

Key Takeaway

Recognize that enforcement intensity can outweigh legislative volume.

Themes

law enforcement public policy gun control crime attention

Mood

critical analytical

Type

observational policy

When to use this quote

- courtroom scenarios
- legislative debates
- public safety planning
- media analysis

Key Concepts

policy impact enforcement dynamics resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does armed status affect law enforcement response?
- Are numerous gun laws truly ineffective without enforcement?

A Different Perspective

The statement may overgeneralize without data on specific outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Amendment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendment/) [Armed Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-law-545286/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime Armed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-armed-2528552/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Gun law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun-law/) [Gun laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun-laws/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-force-2363855/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Public interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-interest/) [Public policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-policy/) [Target](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/target/) [Target Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/target-crime-4900594/)

## Related quotes

> [If gun laws in fact worked, the sponsors of this type of legislation should have no difficulty drawing upon long lists of examples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/if-gun-laws-in-fact-worked-the-sponsors-of-this-type-of-legislation/)

[Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/)

> [In Chicago, which has the toughest gun laws in the United States, probably you could say by far, they have more gun violence than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/in-chicago-which-has-the-toughest-gun-laws-in-the-united-states/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Our pre-9/11 gun laws allow our enemies in the War on Terror to arm themselves right here in our own country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-mccarthy/our-pre-9-11-gun-laws-allow-our-enemies-in-the-war-on-terror-to-arm/)

[Carolyn McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-mccarthy/)

> [So, will his new gun laws - aimed primarily at law-abiding firearms owners - reduce the crime rate even further? Rock is hesitant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rock/so-will-his-new-gun-laws-aimed-primarily-at-law-abiding-firearms/)

[Allan Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rock/)

> [Indeed, that the Second Amendment poses no barrier to strong gun laws is perhaps the most well-settled proposition in American constitutional law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-griswold/indeed-that-the-second-amendment-poses-no-barrier-to-strong-gun-laws/)

[Erwin Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-griswold/)

> [I say that the Second Amendment doesn't allow for exceptions - or else it would have read that the right "to keep and bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/i-say-that-the-second-amendment-doesn-t-allow-for-exceptions-or-else/)

[Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/)

> [I want the state to take away people's guns. But I don't want the state to use methods against gun owners that I deplore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aryeh-neier/i-want-the-state-to-take-away-people-s-guns-but-i-don-t-want-the/)

[Aryeh Neier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aryeh-neier/)

> [I don't think I would use a gun, but who knows what a person would do in certain circumstances? My instincts are that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/i-don-t-think-i-would-use-a-gun-but-who-knows-what-a-person-would-do/)

[David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/)

> [Strict gun laws are about as effective as strict drug laws...It pains me to say this, but the NRA seems to be right: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/strict-gun-laws-are-about-as-effective-as-strict-drug-laws-it-pains/)

[Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/)

> [These gun laws are very much the creation of the Prime Minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-vanstone/these-gun-laws-are-very-much-the-creation-of-the-prime-minister/)

[Amanda Vanstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-vanstone/)

> [They have some pretty tough gun laws in Japan, as they do in any other civilized country in the world, and they're not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-barnes/they-have-some-pretty-tough-gun-laws-in-japan-as-they-do-in-any-other/)

[Michael D. Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-barnes/)

> [It confirms my idea that you also need more liberal gun laws. Guns lead to a polite society, as we like to say in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/it-confirms-my-idea-that-you-also-need-more-liberal-gun-laws-guns/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [Gun laws are an attempt to nationalize the right of self-defense. Politicians perennially react to the police's abject failure to prevent crime by trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-the-right-of-self-defense/)

[James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/)

> [I was 32 years old, and I've changed my mind. And the biggest reason that I changed my mind was my seven years as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-was-32-years-old-and-i-ve-changed-my-mind-and-the-biggest-reason/)

[Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/)

> [We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts. I support them. I won't chip away at them. I believe they help protect us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/we-do-have-tough-gun-laws-in-massachusetts-i-support-them-i-won-t/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

## More by John Longenecker

> [Liberty and personal independence in America are still a concept some here have never known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/liberty-and-personal-independence-in-america-are-still-a-concept-some/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [There is no problem anywhere on the earth which cannot be solved better under Liberty than under any other system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/there-is-no-problem-anywhere-on-the-earth-which-cannot-be-solved/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [Nothing puts peace in its proper perspective better than the loss of personal liberty first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/nothing-puts-peace-in-its-proper-perspective-better-than-the-loss-of/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [It's time to repeal gun bans everywhere in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/it-s-time-to-repeal-gun-bans-everywhere-in-the-united-states/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [Why does a woman carry a gun? Because, under our system, every citizen has the latitude to act in the absence of police; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/why-does-a-woman-carry-a-gun-because-under-our-system-every-citizen/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [The average household might prepare for root canal, traffic accident, unemployment or illness, but how the household will meet, manage and even survive violent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/the-average-household-might-prepare-for-root-canal-traffic-accident/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [Nothing puts the dignity in personal dignity (or the freedom in personal freedom) like the self in self-rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/nothing-puts-the-dignity-in-personal-dignity-or-the-freedom-in/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [There is no policy which will ever be as effective a deterrent in the mind of the mass marauder as the advance knowledge -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/there-is-no-policy-which-will-ever-be-as-effective-a-deterrent-in-the/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [The community does not fight crime well by chasing it; after-the-fact, crime has won and the target of violence is injured or worse. Crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/the-community-does-not-fight-crime-well-by-chasing-it-after-the-fact/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [There is a feeling of personal dignity and independence in grasping, literally, the power to back your refusal to be a target of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/there-is-a-feeling-of-personal-dignity-and-independence-in-grasping/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

> [The health of the second amendment is the primary indicator of the overall health of the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/the-health-of-the-second-amendment-is-the-primary-indicator-of-the/)

[John Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

[Explore all 12 John Longenecker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/)

## More Amendment quotes

> [There are a lot of people who want to retain the Eighth Amendment - I don't agree with that view myself - there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-want-to-retain-the-eighth-amendment-i/)

[Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/)

> [“Let's just make this easy. I'm in favor of a Constitutional amendment that would read something like this: 'Neither the federal government, nor any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/let-s-just-make-this-easy-i-m-in-favor-of-a-constitutional-amendment/)

[Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/)

> [If you reduce the guns and the ammo, you'll reduce the murders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/if-you-reduce-the-guns-and-the-ammo-you-ll-reduce-the-murders/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/)

[Daniel D. Polsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-polsby/)

> [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Guns aren't the problem; sick people are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/guns-aren-t-the-problem-sick-people-are/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [Gun violence has cost us too many political leaders, and hardly ever the worst ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/gun-violence-has-cost-us-too-many-political-leaders-and-hardly-ever/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I don't think anybody who carries a rifle carries the future. Because I don't believe that you can really change the world by killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-don-t-think-anybody-who-carries-a-rifle-carries-the-future-because/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [“my folks wouldn't read a book if you put a gun to their dicks. but they read people all day long and always get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-folks-wouldn-t-read-a-book-if-you-put-a-gun-to-their-dicks-but/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [Anybody who pretends that how you read the 10th and 11th Amendment doesn't have a fundamental impact on the things we care about is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/anybody-who-pretends-that-how-you-read-the-10th-and-11th-amendment/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country. I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-we-have-two-conflicting-traditions-in-this-country-i-think-it/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Country lyrics often reference the NRA and firearms ownership as a way of life. Artists such as John Rich, Toby Keith, Sara Evans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/country-lyrics-often-reference-the-nra-and-firearms-ownership-as-a/)

[Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/)

> [“People who have attended Concealed Carry classes, and those already licensed, typically seem to demonstrate a higher degree of courtesy, responsibility and respect. Interestingly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-behr/people-who-have-attended-concealed-carry-classes-and-those-already/)

[Gary Behr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-behr/)

[Browse all 2,041 Amendment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": ". . when the target of crime is armed, there is more law present, more public policy present, and more public interest served than by all 20,000 gun laws in force.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Longenecker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there-is-more-law-present-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Amendment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there-is-more-law-present-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/john-longenecker-37076_amendment_when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there_2211702.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“. . when the target of crime is armed, there is more law present, more public policy present, and more…” — John Longenecker",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Longenecker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-longenecker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": ". . when the target of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there-is-more-law-present-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-longenecker/when-the-target-of-crime-is-armed-there-is-more-law-present-more/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
