Scientific American: Fact vs Myth in gun debate

[nate]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gun-science-proves-arming-untrained-citizens-bad-idea&WT.mc_id=SA_Facebook

 

My favorite paragraph:

 

Another myth to fall to the facts is that gun-control laws disarm good people and leave the crooks with weapons. Not so, say the Johns Hopkins authors: “Strong regulation and oversight of licensed gun dealers—defined as having a state law that required state or local licensing of retail firearm sellers, mandatory record keeping by those sellers, law enforcement access to records for inspection, regular inspections of gun dealers, and mandated reporting of theft of loss of firearms—was associated with 64 percent less diversion of guns to criminals by in-state gun dealers.”

 

[mtangelsfan]

Is there any proof that the existing gun control laws in this country have done anything to curtail gun violence?

 

I wouldn't have a huge problem with some gun laws if I thought they actually worked and were not just another law on the books that really meant nothing while giving the federal government more of a means to track law abiding citizens.

[nate]

Well the FBI just reported that gun violence death dropped 39% from 1993-2011.  Coincidentally 1993 is when the Brady Act passed.  Seems to be a pretty good indicator that gun control measures work.

[Blarg]

So problem solved, move on.

[nate]

Hooray for complacency!

[Blarg]

I'm a lifelong Angels fan.

[mtangelsfan]

Well the FBI just reported that gun violence death dropped 39% from 1993-2011.  Coincidentally 1993 is when the Brady Act passed.  Seems to be a pretty good indicator that gun control measures work.

 

Interesting.  I would be interested to see a broader range of dates to see if the decrease trend actually started that year.  Also, what portions of the brady bill do they believe were helpful.  It's stuff to talk about.

[Jason]

Since I'm lazy and don't want to research it but I bet that states/cities that have the strictest gun laws like California and Chicago have pretty high rates of gun violence compared to the national average.

[Glen]

Since I'm lazy and don't want to research it but I bet that states/cities that have the strictest gun laws like California and Chicago have pretty high rates of gun violence compared to the national average.

 

 

 

Wow.  That's some great stuff right there.  "I assume I'm correct but I'm not going to look for anything to back up my hunch."

[mtangelsfan]

Right, I mean nobody ever makes assumptions on this site..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just so you know:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/firearms-statistics-gun-control-advocates-don-t-want-194040384.html

 

He was right.

[Adam]

The problem I have with gun control, is the people who will be in charge of controlling them. 

[RallyMo]

Right, I mean nobody ever makes assumptions on this site..

 

 

Just so you know:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/firearms-statistics-gun-control-advocates-don-t-want-194040384.html

 

He was right.

 

I think that we, as you have said, need to take a real good look at everything in play here, because it's obviously not just about availability 

 

I still have issues with that article, because it's not going the kind of in depth analysis that I think needs to be done. For instance, it extensively uses the DC handgun ban and a concurrent rise in murders as some sort of support for the argument that gun control doesn't work. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any of the recent proposals were for a handgun ban. The DC statistics show that a ban on handguns doesn't work. Of course, such a cursory look at numbers doesn't even begin to consider the sociological issues at play. It's not exactly on the level to cite that kind of gun control when it's not even under consideration. The truth is that there may be some formulation of gun control that is effective, and only a reasoned analysis by people on both sides of the issue will help us come to some sort of productive legislation if it is indeed to be had.

[mtangelsfan]

I agree rally, but I think those numbers are a substantive as the op's.

 

I also agree that only a emotionless, frank discussion of gun control laws will result in effective measures.  I just have very little hope that type of discussion ever happens.

[Jason]

That article makes a comparison between California and Texas as they have a similar population numbers and different gun laws. What I take from those numbers of gun murders per capita comes down to the culture and attitudes of the state residents. California is without a doubt plagued with gangs and the issues they bring. Texas doesn't have nearly the same problem. My whole thought on gun control is that bad people do bad things and no one is going to stop them regardless of any laws enacted. Now watch California get worse with this whole AB 109 junk. Parolees aren't allowed to own a gun in California but something tells me they will still have them.

[arch stanton]

 Of those 31,672 dead, 61 percent were suicides, and the vast majority of the rest were homicides by people who knew one another.

 

Are we sure we should be so fixated on the tools they use?