- There is no gun control. There are a lot of guns out there. Many of them are in the wrong hands. Whether you believe gun control should exist, or should not exist, the fact is, it doesn't exist in any effective form.
- According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Connecticut, where yesterday's horrific tragic took place, and its neighboring states of Massachusetts and New York are all among the more restrictive states with regard to gun ownership. (Brady, 2012)
- According to some studies, violent crime varies INVERSELY with legal gun sales. Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Thomas Baker has crunched the numbers in the state of Virginia, and has determined that gun sales in the state have climbed 73% since 2006, while the number of violent crimes involving guns has declined by more than 27%. (NRA, 2012)
- A loophole in the federal law requiring criminal background checks allows sales at gun shows to go forward without a check. This accounts for 40% of all U.S. private gun sales. That's just a poor work product from the legislature. (CSGV, 2012)
- Fortunately, there are "not enough" mass shooting incidents to draw reliable statistical correlations with anything. (I know. PLEASE don't take the first words of that sentence out of context.) Common sense might say otherwise, but the numbers aren't there to draw sound quantitatively-based conclusions about violent media exposure and other potential influences.
- Mass shooting incidents, especially in the otherwise comfortable affluent suburbs get in-depth media attention, but they are statistically insignificant compared to the scourge of gun violence on our city streets. The daily killings in our cities receive relatively little attention in most outlets. A notable exception is the Huffington Post's Chicago Gun Violence stream. (Huffington, 2012a).
- On a single night in Chicago (Monday, 12/3/12), there were 11 shootings overnight. November shootings in Chicago were up 49 percent over 2011. Through 11 months, shootings were up 11 percent and homicides were up 21 percent. (Huffington, 2012b)
- Guns are designed to kill. Don't create specious arguments against gun control by comparing gun violence deaths with traffic fatalities, for example. Cars do not have a lethal primary purpose.
- "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." may be a time-worn cliché but it has some basis in fact. We cannot blame inanimate objects for the evil actions of broken people and the soul-sickness to which we are all susceptible.
References
Brady (2012). Brady 2011 state scorecards. Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Retrieved from http://www.bradycampaign.org/stategunlaws/
Retrieved from http://www.bradycampaign.org/stategunlaws/
CSGV (2012). Gun show loophole. Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Retrieved from http://www.csgv.org/issues-and-campaigns/gun-show-loophole
Retrieved from http://www.csgv.org/issues-and-campaigns/gun-show-loophole
NRA (2012). Wayne's commentary (11/27/12), more guns, less crime in Virginia. The National Rifle Association of America.
Retrieved from http://home.nra.org/#/nraorg
Retrieved from http://home.nra.org/#/nraorg
Huffington (2012a) Chicago gun violence. The Huffington Post.
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/chicago-gun-violence
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/chicago-gun-violence
Huffington (2012b). Shot waiting for bus: Chicago bystanders among 11 shot overnight after violent weekend. The Huffington Post.
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/shot-waiting-for-bus-chic_n_2237596.html
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/shot-waiting-for-bus-chic_n_2237596.html
1 comment:
Excellent expose Doug, everyone is rushing to use this terrible tragedy to advance the Gun Control debate, that is pathetic. One should wonder why than man felt he needed to go on a killing rampge. He did it with guns but he could have done it with cocktail molotov, pipe bombs or even a car bomb. He planned to kill himself anyway. Does anyone think that a law would have prevented someone that deranged to carry on his sinister plans. Give me a break. I have never owned a gun and don't plan to do so anytime soon. But I don't understand that push for gun control everytime there is a shooting. Does anyone truly think that those who use guns illegally will be bothered by a law designed to keep them to purchase a gun? Most of those are already prevented from owning a gun legally. They still find the guns and still use them. Do you thing the Gangbangers who do most of the drive by shooting, buy their guns from a traditional gun shop and submit themselves to the scrutiny imposed by law? Be real people. Gun control law will only take the guns from people who obey the law. Criminals will see no change in their world except, be more confident that they will face less guns the next time they try to use theirs against private citizens.
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