On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:19:25 -0400, Dave Smith
wrote:
>
>> >Most people are happy about that. The vast difference in murder rates between the
>> >Canadian and American murder rates is pretty much reflected by the number of
>> >handgun murders in the US, and that sort of blows the argument about self defence
>> >all to pieces.
>>
>> Actually, that statement could not be further from the truth.
>
>But you cannot elaborate.... because it is.
Odd..you must have made a mistake...again
Guns, Gun Ownership, & RTC at All-Time Highs, Less "Gun Control," and
Violent Crime at 30-Year Low
Guns.
The number of privately owned guns in the U.S. is at an all-time high.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE)
estimates that there were about 215 million guns in 1999,1 when the
number of new guns was averaging about 4.5 million (about 2%)
annually.2 A report for the National Academy of Sciences put the 1999
figure at 258 million.3 According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics,
there were 60.4 million approved (new and used) NICS firearm
transactions between 1994 2004.4 The number of NICS checks for firearm
purchases or permits increased 3.2% between 2003-2004.
Gun Owners.
The number of gun owners is also at an all-time high. The U.S.
population is at an all-time high (294 million), and rises about 1%
annually.5 Numerous surveys over the last 40+ years have found that
almost half of all households have at least one gun owner.6 Some
surveys since the late 1990s have indicated a smaller incidence of gun
ownership,7 probably because of some respondents` concerns about "gun
control," residually due, perhaps, to the anti-gun policies of the
Clinton Administration.
Right-to-Carry.
The number of RTC states is at an all-time high, up from 10 in 1987 to
38 today.8 In 2004, states with RTC laws, compared to other states,
had lower violent crime rates on average. Total violent crime was
lower by 21%, murder by 28%, robbery by 43%, and aggravated assault by
13%.9
"Less Gun Control."
Violent crime has declined while many "gun control" laws have been
eliminated or made less restrictive. Many states have eliminated
prohibitory or restrictive carry laws, in favor of Right-to-Carry
laws. The federal Brady Act`s waiting period on handgun sales ended in
1998, in favor of the NRA-supported National Instant Check, and some
states thereafter eliminated waiting periods, purchase permit
requirements, or other laws delaying gun sales. The federal "assault
weapon" ban expired in 2004. All states now have hunter protection
laws, 46 have range protection laws, 46 prohibit local jurisdictions
from imposing gun laws more restrictive than state law, 44 protect the
right to arms in their constitutions, and 33 prohibit frivolous
lawsuits against the firearm industry.10
Studies by and for Congress, the Congressional Research Service, the
Library of Congress, the National Institute of Justice, the National
Academy of Sciences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
and even researchers who support "gun control," have found no evidence
that "gun control" reduces crime.11
Crime.
The FBI reports that the nation`s total violent crime rate declined
every year between 1991 2004.12 In 2004, the violent crime rate fell
to a 30-year low, lower than any time since 1974. The murder rate fell
to a 39-year low, lower than any time since 1965. The 2004 robbery and
aggravated assault rates were lower than any time since 1968 and 1984,
respectively. Since 1991, total violent crime has decreased 39%;
murder and non-negligent manslaughter, 44%; ., 24%; robbery, 50%;
and aggravated assault, 33%.13 Between 2003-2004, the violent crime
rate declined 2.2%.14 Concurrently, the most recent Bureau of Justice
Statistics crime victimization survey found that violent crime is
lower than anytime since 1973, when the first such survey was
conducted.15
Notes
1. BATF, "Crime Gun Trace Reports (1999) National Report," Nov. 2000,
p. ix (www.atf.gov/firearms/ycgii/1999/index.htm).
2. BATF, "Firearms Commerce in the United States 2001/2002"
(www.atf.gov/pub/index.htm#Firearms).
3. National Research Council, Firearms and Violence: A Critical
Review, National Academies Press, 2005.
4. BJS, "Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2004"
(http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov./bjs/pub/pdf/bcft04.pdf).
5. Bureau of the Census
(http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html).
6. Gary Kleck, Targeting Firearms, Aldine de Gruyter, 1997, pp. 94,
98-100.
7. E.g., BJS Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, Table
2.58, (www.albany.edu/sourcebook/).
8. See NRA RTC fact sheet (within
www.nraila.org/Issues/Filter.aspx?ID=003).
9. See FBI, Crime in the United States 2004
(http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#cius) for state crime statistics.
10. See NRA-ILA Compendium of State Firearms Laws
(www.nraila.org/media/misc/compendium.htm). Also, note that in October
2005, federal legislation prohibiting such lawsuits was signed into
law.
11. Federal "assault weapon" ban: Roth, Koper, et al., Impact
Evaluation of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use
Protection Act of 1994, March 13, 1997
(www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=406797); Reedy and Koper, "Impact of handgun
types on gun assault outcomes: a comparison of gun assaults involving
semiautomatic pistols and revolvers," Injury Prevention 2003,
(http://ip.bmjjournals.com/cgi/reprint/9/2/151); Koper et al., Report
to the National Institute of Justice, An Updated Assessment of the
Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence,
1994-2003, June 2004
(www.sas.upenn.edu/jerrylee/jlc-new/Research/Koper_aw_final.pdf); Wm.
J. Krouse, Congressional Research Service Report for Congress,
"Semiautomatic Assault Weapons Ban," Dec. 16, 2004. "Gun control,"
generally: Library of Congress, Report for Congress: Firearms
Regulations in Various Foreign Countries, May 1998, LL98-3, 97-2010;
Task Force on Community Preventive Service, "First Reports Evaluating
the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence: Firearms
Laws," Morbidity and Mortaility Weekly Report, Oct. 3, 2003
(www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a2.htm); National Research
Council, Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review, National Academies
Press, 2005 (http://books.nap.edu/books/0309091241/html/index.html).
12. Note 9 and BJS (http://bjsdata.ojp.usdoj.gov/dataonline/). See
also FBI (http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/crimestat101705.htm).
13. Note 10. Condensed at www.nraila.org, click on "Research," then
"Crime Statistics."
14. Note 12.
15. BJS (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov./bjs/pub/press/cv04pr.htm).
Posted: 11/1/2005 12:00:00 AM
"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same ./different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr |