Spoonman
Gold Member
- Jul 15, 2010
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Ten Gun Myths Shot Down in a Hail of bullets
Myth #1: They're coming for your guns.
Fact-check: No one knows the exact number of guns in America, but it's clear there's no practical way to round them all up (never mind that no one in Washington is proposing this). Yet if you fantasize about rifle-toting citizens facing down the government, you'll rest easy knowing that America's roughly 80 million gun owners already have the feds and cops outgunned by a factor of around 79 to 1. (chart) hmmm, so why do they want to register them?
Myth #2: Guns don't kill peoplepeople kill people.
Fact-check: People with more guns tend to kill more peoplewith guns. The states with the highest gun ownership rates have a gun murder rate 114% higher than those with the lowest gun ownership rates... the real fact is 4 out of 5 homicides are commited in the states with the strictest gun laws
Myth #3: An armed society is a polite society.
Fact-check: Drivers who carry guns are 44% more likely than unarmed drivers to make obscene gestures at other motorists, and 77% more likely to follow them aggressively.
Among Texans convicted of serious crimes, those with concealed-handgun licenses were sentenced for threatening someone with a firearm 4.8 times more than those without...yea, you never get any road rage in chicago, NY or LA
Myth #4: More good guys with guns can stop rampaging bad guys.
Fact-check: Mass shootings stopped by armed civilians in the past 30 years: 0
Chances that a shooting at an ER involves guns taken from guards: 1 in 5.it is estimated that private guns stop 2,500,000 personal attacks per year
Myth #5: Keeping a gun at home makes you safer.
Fact-check: Owning a gun has been linked to higher risks of homicide, suicide, and accidental death by gun.
For every time a gun is used in self-defense in the home, there are 7 assaults or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and 4 accidents involving guns in or around a home...not true, for every homicide there are 294 cases of self defense
Myth #6: Carrying a gun for self-defense makes you safer.
Fact-check: In 2011, nearly 10 times more people were shot and killed in arguments than by civilians trying to stop a crime.
In one survey, nearly 1% of Americans reported using guns to defend themselves or their property. However, a closer look at their claims found that more than 50% involved using guns in an aggressive manner, such as escalating an argument.again, 2,500,000 cases of self defense contradicts this information. and again, these studied look at inner city crime
A Philadelphia study found that the odds of an assault victim being shot were 4.5 times greater if he carried a gun. His odds of being killed were 4.2 times greater.
Myth #7: Guns make women safer.
Fact-check: In 2010, nearly 6 times more women were shot by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners than murdered by male strangers... without guns they would have been strangled, beaten or something worse
Myth #8: "Vicious, violent video games" deserve more blame than guns.
Fact-check: So said NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre after Newtown. So what's up with Japan?
(chart/resource in link - wont behave here) so you are saying pokemon is violent?
Myth #9: More and more Americans are becoming gun owners.
Fact-check: More guns are being sold, but they're owned by a shrinking portion of the population...
Around 80% of gun owners are men. On average they own 7.9 guns each...well except for the fact that 2012 saw 20,000,000 new requests for pistol permits alone. mmm that new owners for one style of gun. and the fact is guns are still increasing, yet homicides are down
Myth #10: We don't need more gun lawswe just need to enforce the ones we have.
Fact-check: Weak laws and loopholes backed by the gun lobby make it easier to get guns illegally.
Around 40% of all legal gun sales involve private sellers and don't require background checks. 40% of prison inmates who used guns in their crimes got them this way.of course that fact comes from a study done in 1997 where only 238 people even responded to the question where did you get your gun. and how many criminals did it inclued?
An investigation found 62% of online gun sellers were willing to sell to buyers who said they couldn't pass a background check...
Links for substantiation of all points, charts, further point narratives at the article link here. wow, a no biased source
Here's one of them pertaining to Myth 2, particularly illustrative:
Also worth a look is this chart from one of the resources, listing the world's countries ranked by rate of gun ownership (i.e. how armed we are). Take a look at how far ahead we are.
Topic armed and dangerous, unlocked and loaded. Bring it on.
now lets take a look at some real facts. since the UK went on it's gun ban legislation it levels of homicides have decreased by about .5 to .6 per 100,000. Now lets take a look at statistics in the USA. since the repeal of the semi auto weapons ban homicides in the USA have decreased by about .5 to .6 per 100,000 per year.